


Claimed

by Kelkat9



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Oral Sex, Paranormal, Romance, Were-Creatures, Werewolf Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-09-27 14:18:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17163536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelkat9/pseuds/Kelkat9
Summary: Rose Tyler lived a very ordinary life until the day she learned she wasn't quite so ordinary. In fact, she found out she wasn't even human. Her parents had fled the village of Gallifrey where their people lived in a very protected and insular community. Pack life in Gallifrey was wildly different than what Rose knew. Now, Rose was being commanded to return to Gallifrey to fulfill a promise her parents made to procure their freedom, a promise of their first born daughter to the man who was now the pack Alpha.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Published previously but deleted. I've cleaned it up a little. Werewolf AU. Some slightly bdsm forest smut in the end.

The Tyler family had lived in the small seaside town of Powell's End for almost all of Rose's life. Her parents owned a small shop on the main street that ran through town, The Paisley Moon or the Moon as it was known around town.

It was quaint place where they sold a little bit of everything from touristy goods, clothing, collectibles, toys, hardware items, home goods and her father's inventions. It wasn't a posh life, but it was good, filled with family, laughter and small-town life.

Pete and Jackie were known throughout Powell's End for their generosity and friendliness. Jackie never hesitated to stop and offer a cup of tea and a chat to whoever needed it and Pete was the town handyman, seemingly able to fix almost anything or at least make it work in some fashion.

More than one person had odd looking contraptions in their house that accomplished some task even if no one quite understood how he cobbled them together. It was a tight knit town and one where everyone knew everyone else's business and gossip was practically an Olympic event. Nothing happened in this small town without everyone knowing about it by night fall.

Rose, Pete and Jackie's eldest child was just shy of twenty and had stayed home to help with the family shop. She was a petite blonde and regarded in the community as sweet, kind, always with a smile on her face and quite the catch even if the local gossips thought her obsession with the woods and photographing the local wildlife odd.

Many a local bloke had his eye on her settling her down to a proper life. But Rose had other ideas that did not include the small town of Powell's End.

She wanted to travel, see the world, learn things and figure out what she wanted to do with her life, a life she was sure was meant to be spent elsewhere. Rose dreamed of it, vivid and mysterious dreams. She never shared these dreams with her parents and this would be something she would later regret.

A typical girl she had grown up in the tiny village, attended the village schools, went to church and knew every person, every place and the typical paranoia of living in a small village. Not too typical, she disagreed that London was a pit of sin and infamy as was every other big city. 

She quickly bored of life, day after day, of school, church, worrying about the local rabbit infestation, work, homework and keeping to her parents’ routine. An itch to explore struck in her teen years, to roam the woods around her home, seek out excitement and new experiences.  

Rebellion struck after her eighteenth birthday when she demanded to be treated like an adult and not be subject to what she considered antiquated overprotective rules of the house.  One of her most notable and infamous acts of independence was a brief turbulent romance with local musician, Jimmy Stones. It had not ended well.

The proverbial forbidden fruit, as dictated by her curfew minded parents, Rose had become enamoured of him and what he represented. He was a renegade, opinionated, bold and not afraid to speak his mind.

This resonated deep inside her, with his swagger and bragging about how he would make it big and leave this small town behind. Rose saw him as everything she wanted, talented, fit, spoke his mind and wanted to strike out and make his own way in the world. Of course, the flaming desire she had for him was quickly snuffed out when he disappeared with some blonde tourist along with a good chunk of cash Rose and Jimmy had set aside to leave town.

Having to face the  _ I told you so _ 's from her mother was the worst.

Rose sulked and stewed in her room avoiding her family for two weeks after the git had left. It was her little brother, Tony, who had broken through her funk. Tony was a curious and adventurous eight-year old boy who was known for barging into a room without knocking and jumping on Rose's bed until she paid him attention.

After a couple of Tony style invasions and peppering her with questions about things in his astronomy book, Rose had sighed and admitted defeat. It wasn't like she hated her family. She just longed to leave and live her own life. So, giving in and allowing Tony to drag her back into family activities wasn't that much of a burden.

Of course, she once again felt stuck and like life was passing her by. Still, she knew her parents appreciated her help and it wasn't like they had made any special demands on her even though she may have been a touch bitchy with them during what was known as her  _ Jimmy  _ phase.

Life continued on and she signed up for a few online courses at a college nearby and settled into a routine. Every day was beans on toast, open the shop, help her Mum with laundry, study, watch over Tony and maybe a quiz night or two at the pub with her mates Mickey and Shareen. A few times, she helped Mrs. Jones over at the local newsstand or ran errands for Mrs. Smith whilst she cared for her ill Aunt.

Days ran into nights and nothing more exciting ever happened other than some pissed college students found hiding on the roof of old Mr. Copper's ice cream shop after vandalizing his store. They'd screamed for help, whinging and crying about monsters and some horror movie.

The local police had chalked it up to one too many combined with some illicit drugs. They'd taken the students in for questioning but never did get the truth out of them. It had been town gossip for a week with the older generation shaking their heads and the locals eyeing any other students in town for the weekend.

What was really odd was how her parents reacted to the crazy college student incident. It was natural for them to use that as an example of bad behaviour and give her the  _ you're better than that _ and  _ just remember every action has consequences _ lectures.

But there was something else hidden in their eyes. It was the long, silent and a few whispered words about keeping an eye out and the past coming back to haunt them. Rose sensed this oddness and knew something was off and tried to question them but they would always change the subject. Like they always did when she asked about their past before Powell’s End.

The turmoil and gossip fed her dreams until she tossed and turned, dreaming about woods filled with people or things dancing and darting amongst the darkened greenery. A dark figure seemed to always be nearby watching her. She never saw a face but knew he was there whispering her name.

Sometimes she heard howling and baying as the full moon shined through the tall trees. She shivered but wasn't afraid. It made her heart pump and she wanted to run and feel the branches whipping past her. Every morning after the dream, she woke up breathing hard and trembling, her body damp with perspiration. She would shrug it off and start her day as normal.

Days later, Rose was in her parent's shop unpacking glass fish one of the local artists had made. They were what Rose called ugly-cute with big bulbous eyes and mouths opened in an  _ O,  _ the glass tinted a golden orange colour. It was a typical day, normal and boring until a tourist walked in.

The bell on the door had jangled merrily announcing a customer. When Rose looked up, her mouth dropped just a bit. A tall, broad shouldered man with movie star drop dead gorgeous looks in long dark blue coat examined some drift wood carvings.

When he looked at Rose, warmth coursed to her cheeks and a wild pulse beat in her veins. So riveted by his deep blue eyes, she spent a moment, examining the fine specimen of masculinity who wandered into the shop and give a prayer of thanks for a very nice distraction to her day.

"Well, hello there," he greeted with a slight purring tone to his voice, his eyes not leaving hers.

"Hi," Rose responded in a husky voice enjoying having the attention of the hot stranger.  Of course, the fact he was a stranger finally cut through the flirtations fog. Small town warnings about strangers after the college student incident prevailed.

She cleared her throat and smiled at him trying to be a proper sales girl and not some star struck hormonally driven woman melting before the handsome bloke.

"Can I help you with something?"

A few strands of raven black hair fell across his forehead and his smiled brightened as he walked over to her standing behind the counter.  His coat parted slightly to reveal a white dress shirt open at the collar with a gold chain and some sort of amulet around his neck. Not a typical tourist. Immediately, she wondered what he was doing here.

"I'm sure you can and you are?" he asked, still oozing charm and with a flirtatious light in his eyes.

"Rose, Rose Tyler. This is my parent's store," she revealed and wasn't' sure why other than there was something about him that triggered a response in her.

She wanted to trust him. That was against everything her parents had taught her. You never trusted strangers and yet there was something in his eyes that looked trust worthy.

"Nice to meet you Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness," he replied and held out his hand. Just as she was about to grasp it, her mother walked out of the store room.

"Rose!" she screeched. "What are you doing?" Her mother stormed over and glared at their customer who turned to her with an amused look.

"Jackie Tyler, it's been a while," Jack said, again with a flirtatious tone as he looked her up and down. "And you're looking quite fit, if I do say."

"Rose, fetch your father," Jackie ordered, hands gripped at her side like she was about to slap their customer.

"Jackie, I'm hurt at such an unwelcoming greeting and after all we've been through."

Rose ignored her mother's command and stood looking from the handsome stranger leaning casually against the counter and her mother who stood stiffly glaring at him.

"Maybe all we've been through is why," she snapped. "As I remember it, we had a deal and that meant leaving us well enough alone and out of whatever you lot are up to." Jackie noticed Rose standing there watching them. "Rose, I said go get your father! Now shift!"

“You sure, Mum?” her mum had rarely looked as tense and ready to rip out a throat as she did then.  Maybe Rose wasn’t completely happy with life in Powell’s End but she stood by her family.

“Yes, go.  I’ll deal with Mr. Harkness.”  The way she spit out the customer’s name made clear this was no friend. 

Reluctantly, Rose backed away making her way to the store room but not before looking at the man who so had her mother upset. He winked at her.

"Best listen to your mother…for now. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again."

Rose wrinkled her nose at his continued flirtation. She shook her head and went back to find her father standing in the middle of the back room and staring at the doorway, a hammer gripped in his hand.

"Dad?" Rose asked worried at the intense look on his face.

He seemed to shake it off and focused on her.

"Um, Mum says to come up front. There's some bloke, Jack Harkness and she doesn't seem real happy to…"

"I'll handle it. Stay in the back," her father, Pete, cut her off his entire demeanour changing when she mentioned the name of their visitor. He banged down the hammer on his work table before shutting the door behind him.

Stay in the back room?  What was she five? Still, parental orders carried some weight and respect.  Instead, she did what she often did, listened through the door to get to the truth.  Just like how she learned Father Christmas wasn’t real.

Shouting and accusations about college students and mumbled words about promises and keeping watch over someone filtered pass the old wood door.

Her parents’ angry sharp tones puzzled her. So unlike them. Jackie and Pete were friendly to everyone. Who was this Jack Harkness? He seemed comfortable flirting with her mother.  She wrinkled her nose at how he flirted with both her and her mum.

More shouting about promises about loyalty and something about a covenant. Why did her father want her locked back here? What were they hiding? The door opened abruptly, her mother smoothed her hair, a stiff smile on her face followed by orders to put the glass fish out on the display near the door.

“What about Mr. Harkness.” Rose peered around the store finding it empty.

“Never mind him.  Just get the fish out. We promised Mrs. Noble we’d promote them during the art walk tomorrow.  Now shift.”

Rose did as she was asked even as curiosity left her twitchy for answers. None of her questions would be answered until three days later

They were having a family dinner in their tiny cottage when she noticed her parents quiet and still, staring at one another. The air thick with tension in the yellow cosy kitchen left Rose shifting in her seat.

Tony sat next to Rose at the small round wooden table, playing with his potatoes, obliviously babbling on about his friend Cedric and his new puppy and how it made sense he should have a puppy too so Cedric's dog could have a friend.

Rose watched as subtle nonverbal communication passed between her parents. A knock sounded on the door making her jump but her parents seemed to be expecting it. Her father stood up and made his way to greet their visitor whilst her mother stared down at the uneaten shepherd's pie cooling on her plate.

An odd tightnesss settled in Rose’s chest at each thud of approaching footsteps.  Like a dream, a sense of déjà vu overwhelmed her until she knew that when she turned around, there would be several people, one whom would be the mysterious Jack Harkness. She was right.

Jack inclined his head as her father stepped around them to stand behind her mother, a grim set to his mouth. The two other men appeared uncomfortable in the small space.

One was dark haired like Jack with lighter blue eyes wearing a tailored navy-blue suit looking very formal and the other was of a slighter build, looking more of hipster with his dark skinny jeans, untucked paisley print lavender dress shirt topped with a dark purple velvet coat. His brown hair was tousled, he had a slight scruff on his face and green eyes that seemed soft and compassionate.

Her observation of the men didn't go unnoticed.

"Do we pass inspection?" Jack teased.

Rose furrowed her brow and looked to her father whose jaw was clenched. She looked back at Jack.

"Dunno. You're upsetting my parents so maybe you don't."

"Rose!" her mother chastised, twisting a napkin nervously in her hands. It was the first thing her mother had said since her earlier stare off with Rose's father. Given her mother's pension for talking to anyone about anything, it was odd. Rose looked at Jackie who was looking at her daughter like it was the last time.

“No one’s gonna hurt us in our own home.” Rose leaned over to place her hand on Jackie's arm, shooting a warning glare at Jack and his friends.

"Jackie, why don't you take Tony out back," Pete suggested.

"She's my daughter! Do you think I'm just gonna sit here while they…"

"Not in front of Tony," Pete cut her off and a pleading look fell across his face. His shoulders slumped and he ran a hand though his short ginger hair before looking back at Jackie communicating a silent message.

"I want to stay with Rose! I'm a big boy now!" Tony said stubbornly, with a Tyler look of determination.

"Course you are, sweetheart," Jackie said softly, tears in her eyes and then she looked at Rose. "But these people are here to talk to Rose, about her future."  Pete walked over to Jackie and leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head.

"I'll be with her," he promised softly and then looked at Tony. "Go with your mum."

"But Daaadddd," he whinged.

"No buts. Go or you can forget any puppy discussion." That seemed to change Tony's attitude and he quickly scampered off. Jackie shot Pete an unhappy look but went after Tony. She paused once looking at Rose.

"No matter what, sweetheart, we love you. It'll be all right."

She left and Pete slid a chair over next to Rose who'd had about all the mystery she could take. She glanced at the men who stood there watching her and turned back to Pete.

"Dad, what's this about? What did Mum mean they were here to talk about my future? Who are these people?" Pete sighed and gazed into Rose's eyes with love and worry.

"These people are…old associates. You've met Mr. Harkness. His companions are Mr. Jones and Mr. Williams."

"All right, but what do they want with me?" she asked, shooting them suspicious looks.

"Rose, there are things about our family that we haven't talked about," he began and paused. "You know that we are estranged from your mum's family and all of mine are gone or I've lost touch with them. It's always been just us."

"Yeah, Mum told me a little bit about it. She said her mum didn't like you and her family was miffed 'cos you snuck off and got married." Pete chuckled but not with merriment.

"Oh, you could say that." He looked at Rose with much more seriousness. "Our family isn't like the families in Powell's End. Where we come from, these things, marriages, partnerships or the like don't just happen without a certain amount of negotiations you might say."

"Wait, you're talking about arranged marriages." Her eyes widened. "Oh my god! You and mum were in a cult!" She turned and looked at the men standing patiently behind her. "This is some sort of weird cult thing and they're here to drag us all back! Shareen told me all about this one group that worshipped space people and kept insisting they were waitin' for aliens to come take 'em away and then killed themselves."

Jack laughed and whispered something to his companions who smirked.

"No, not exactly," Pete explained, drawing Rose's attention back to him. Her mind spun as she tried to understand.  Why couldn’t he just tell her what was happening?

"It's more like, well, you remember studying your history…back during Regency era or during uh courtly times. There was a hierarchy at court and marriages were arranged. We come from an association of families that have lived like that, sort of like those books your mum likes to read, the paranormal romances about the wolf families." Rose side-eyed him big time. She certainly knew about those books her mum liked to think she kept secret under the bed. Rose and Shareen had snuck several back to her room for giggles and some fun sex education embarrassed parents refused to explain.

“Yes well, where we're from everyone has their place in the pack, their job so to speak and things are done in according to a certain pecking order. Not, that we are anything like those err erotic stories," Pete said, his face flushed.

No way he just said pack. Rose felt for her mobile in her jeans pocket ‘cos clearly something was off.  What the hell had happened to her normal, boring parents for them to be part of something so outlandish?

"Wolf pack? Seriously, you are not telling me you're like howling at the moon werewolves?" Rose asked, staring at him as if he was a lunatic, fingers tapping out her phone’s unlock code.

The men behind her started laughing and she swore one of them made a howling noise. She glared at them and they quieted down lips twitching in amusement.

"Rose, this is serious." Pete scrubbed his face with his hands.

"You're the one that brought up the whole mental wolf thing!" she retorted, her shoulders tense and stomach in knots with worry, not liking where this whole conversation was leading. But in the back of her mind a subtle familiarity rose up.  Dreams of the woods and of a man, a tall man running in the woods with her. 

No. that had nothing to do with whatever breakdown her father was having.

"Fine, yes, I did. I meant it as an example of pack-like life," he answered, sounding tired.

"But not like the books or the telly have it. I mean humans base some of their mythology on us but then they cocked it up. Rose, look at me."

Rose at this point was ready to walk out or call the police and report that her parents were being threatened by cult people.  God, the gossips would have a field day with that.

The whole conversation had her doubting everyone's sanity. Werewolves were not real and it's not like she'd ever seen her parents get all weird like during a full moon. They were just her parents. And then, there was the bit about talking about their family and humans like she wasn't human.

Pete Tyler seemed to know he had a task ahead of him and did his best to remain calm and rational as he explained his daughter's unique heritage to her.

"Our people have existed on this planet for almost as long as humans. We evolved differently and although we look like them, there are basic differences. These differences only manifest when we are with others of our own kind, our pack you might say. Out here in the human world, we are like them, blend in for the most part. We can still sense our own kind, might have a few enhanced senses but any other traits are repressed and dormant."

"Let's say I believe you, that our family is…" Rose couldn't' say it. "Different. Why would you leave your people behind?" Facts clicked into plalce and she she sat up straight. "Wait. You said they arranged marriages. They didn't approve of you and mum so you left, you ran away – is that it?" Mental, completely mental but she was going to humour him to get to the bottom of whatever this was.

Pete smiled. His Rose always was clever.

"Yes, it was something like that." He sighed and sat back in his chair glancing at Jack before looking at her again. "We were in different social circles within the pack. Hierarchy is very important. One works one's way up in the social structure, proving yourself through strength and intelligence.

“There was a certain competitiveness to get ahead. Alliances were important and any perceived transgression of one family against another could lead to tension. When your mum and I met, her family was involved in such a dispute that was turning into something far more than a feud within the pack.

“You might call it a bit of a civil war that was brewing and about to shake things up. There was an altercation and she was caught up in it and I intervened and took her to safety."  Rose smiled.

"Sounds a bit romantic. So, you saved her from trouble and then what? You two fell in love and left?"

"I wish! No, your mum slugged me and accused me of setting the whole thing up. Her family blamed me too when they found us in the woods. They accused me of being up to no good and trying to seduce your mum and then sort of threw me in a rather unpleasant cellar to decide what to do with me.”

The bizarreness of the story was getting to Rose and again she took comfort in her mobile at her side.

"A cellar. And there were no police around? Nobody noticed any of this?"

"The pack rules itself," Pete explained. "Your mum soon realized I wasn't part of that skirmish and that I genuinely wanted to help. She freed me with a stern talking to about watching my arse and trying to be a bit smarter about things."  He paused and gazed off to the side.

"I think I started falling in love with her then." He turned back to Rose. "Things got complicated after that. Allegiances shifted and things got violent. Your mum and I, neither of us wanted any part of it, ended up running into each more and more and before you know it we… Well, let's just say, we were together.” His face flushed and Rose determined right then and there he didn’t get to lecture her about boyfriends any more.

“Needless to say, her family didn't approve as I had a lower status in the pack then them. They had plans for her that didn't include someone like me."

"So you ran off?"

"We had to. We were pregnant and if her family had known, it would have been very bad for everyone. Leaving wasn't simple. We needed help and we made arrangements with a faction that was set to sort of ascend to become the new authority and challenge the Alpha."

"I don't understand," Rose said, a growing uneasiness left her with an itch to run away out of this kitchen and away from the bizarre story.  Pete reached over and grasped her hand, grounding her as if he knew how much he asked to accept.

"I told you we were different. Our people have always kept to ourselves, closed off our community from most of the outside world, protected. No one entered or left without authorization or someone being aware of it. We had to maintain security, keep the outside world from looking into us too much and we've done that for centuries. We've kept ourselves safe and the outside world safe from us."

"Safe from us? Because we're different? But you said that when we live out here, we're like humans." Rose reminded him, her heart beginning to pound as she felt something heavy wrap itself around her, some mystery or truth with which she was about to be burdened with and wasn't sure if she wanted.

"In the pack, we're different from them Rose. In some ways, we are the most dangerous species on the planet. Some in our pack may want to push that advantage. You see, we are more in tune to the environment, to the life around us; we see what they miss; our strength is far superior to theirs; we think of things they couldn't conceive of; and we live longer.

“If the pack had a mind to, it could easily, expand and overtake the humans and this planet."

Rose felt herself shiver as she thought about what that could mean. She didn't like it, the thought of hurting people, her friends all because of some genetic superiority.

"Not everyone thinks that way. We've coexisted for millennia with humans. Look at us, our family. We left and moved here. We wanted a normal human life for you, safe from the politics and manipulations of pack life," Pete continued to explain.

"I can't believe this is real," she said softly, looking down into her lap, trying to process how serious her father seemed.

"It is very real. And as much as I want to protect you from that life we left behind…" he started to say and closed his eyes, pausing before looking at her again. "I can't anymore. You see, your mum and me needed help to get away so we could be together away from all the fighting and laws forbidding our marriage.

“A group of renegades, smart, quick, strong people with good intentions who wanted change and what was best for everyone, they offered to help. Your mum and I traded information for safe passage out, but there was more to it."  He paused and, in the dim, yellow light of the kitchen years etched on his face.

"Leaving the pack, Gallifrey, meant sacrifice. It was losing the safety of the village, the connection to our people, the immunities and blessings granted for being a member of the pack and it meant making certain promises. You see, our people's survival depends on each other, loyalty.

“Each of those who helped us, asked for something in return, a bond of sorts. For some, it was things from the outside world, gifts, information, help when they ventured outside the pack; others, it was promises of loyalty and protection should they need to flee, a place they could hole up. One, a brilliant man, cunning and quick, he made me promise him my first-born daughter."

"What! What do you mean?” The chair tipped over with a bang as Rose launched upward. “He…he asked for your kid! Who does that? And, you promised him me?" Jack stepped around the table.

"It's a normal thing in the world we live in. Parents often contract or arrange affiliations, bonds or marriages of their offspring. The man who asked for you is a good man, the best man I know. He's beyond strong and intelligent, he sees what's coming before it arrives.

“It's a rare talent and one he rarely uses for his own benefit. He must have seen something special in you to ask for that. He's never asked anyone else for something so…personal."  Rose whipped around to face him, seething, anger racing up her neck.

"I don't' bloody well care! I'm not some sack of goods to be passed over to some strange bloke 'cos of some weird wolf promise."

"Of course not,” Jack agreed without any anger or defensiveness.  “You were born outside the pack and you still have free will, but you need to return and meet him. You see, Rose, he's the Alpha now and has the right to call his people home, even you and your family."

Rose looked at her father who stood, shoulders, broad and tense, tall and menacing.  Rose had never seen his eyes so dark, or felt a prickle as her hair stood on end at the glare he pinned on the men.

"So, you've come for all of us then, even Tony?" Rose asked in an attempt to break the macho standoff happening in the kitchen.  Not that it helped as Jack’s presence filled the kitchen but also maintained a cajoling attitude.

"Careful, old man. No one wants to hurt anyone here," Jack warned and then turned to Rose.

"We're only here for you, Rose. Your family is free to live in peace and when Tony's of age, if we are still in power which if the moon still shines on this Earth hopefully, we are, he will be welcomed home, if he wants. Your parents are welcome too, but we understand what it would be like uprooting a family after so many years amongst the humans. We respect your father's decisions and his desire to keep his family safe."

"And yet you are taking my daughter," Pete snapped.

"Rose is different and you know that. It's why he asked for her. Besides, we know she's not content to stay here. You know that too." Jack looked at Rose. "You dream about it, don't you, moonflower."

Rose paled and sat back down, memories of her dreams, of forests, moonlight and running at the forefront of her mind along with a growling voice whispering that word.  Why did she only now remember that?

"How did you…"

Jack smiled at her but her father interrupted before he could say anything.

"You've been having dreams!" he exclaimed.

At this point Jackie who apparently was listening burst into the room.

"Rose! Why didn't you tell us?"

"It was nothing. Just a dream, that's all," she said, softly but not entirely believing it.

"And you're not alone in that dream, are you?" Jack said softly with a gentle tone.

Rose looked at him, unable to speak. He glanced at his two companions and nodded. They two stepped back a few paces, fading into the background.

Jackie pulled a chair across to Rose and sat next to her.

"Oh sweetheart, I wish you'd told us."

"Why, so you could tell me I'm not a person, something else, part of some pack and belong to some strange bloke," Rose said miserably.

"It's not so bad," the brown-haired man identified as Mr. Williams said, finally speaking. "Um I'm Rory. Hello." He waved. I've lived inside and out of the pack so I understand a bit about what it'll be like.

Pete looked over at him. "Williams… Name your mother's family," he ordered.

"Oswald," he answered.

Pete stared at him for a minute before looking at Jackie who inclined her head. Finally, he nodded.

"Yes, I knew her family. They helped settle us here, giving us recommendations with their human connections. You said you've lived both in the pack and in the outside world?"

"Oh yes. We went back in when I was fifteen, after the Doctor became Alpha. That would be about six years ago, your time."

"Our time?" Rose asked.

"We age differently in the pack, in Gallifrey," Rory explained. "You'll get used to it."

"You mean I won't age the same as my brother or parents while I'm there?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Jack inserted. "In fact, I think that's quite enough for the night. Rose has a lot to think about. Why don't you get a good night's rest and we can work out Rose's transition tomorrow.”?

Jackie pulled Rose closer to her, hanging onto her arm as if they were trying to steal her daughter away right then and there. Rose knew then that this would be much harder for her parents than her and that she would be leaving Powell's End. She still wasn't keen on the thought of being given to someone but Jack had said she still had a choice in the matter. But leaving, feeling new ground beneath her feet, seeing some place new compelled her to consider the opportunity.

"Thanks, I think I could use a bit of a rest," she finally said.

Jack walked over toward her but Jackie blocked him from getting too close, a feral look in her eyes that screamed protective mother.

"It'll be all right. Think of this as an adventure, a trip to explore your family roots. If after you've spent some time with us, understand who and what you are and what you want, you decide you prefer this life, I will return you here personally." Rose tucked the promise away, a question dominating the torrent of emotions.

"Earlier, you called me Moonflower.  Why?"

Jack smiled. "It's what you are, what he calls you, our Alpha, the Doctor." With that he nodded they left quietly leaving the Tyler household in far much more turmoil than they found it.

Rose didn't sleep much that night and any sleep she did manage was haunted by dreams of moonlight, forests and someone calling her name. She knew who that voice was now.

It had always struck something deep inside her, the way he said her name almost revered and yet hypnotic. Perhaps, there was an underlying promise in his tone, something dark and possessive that promised her things she didn't know she wanted.

It tormented her with its seductive power, making her yearn and yet also making her feel guilty for wanting more than she had. These feelings it evoked in her were wrong. It was a dream from a people her parents left behind because they tried to control their lives, prevent them from loving who they wanted and it was the same people taking her from her family.

Yet, another part of her wanted to know more about what his whispers promised.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Rose walked into the kitchen hesitantly, unsure of what she’d find.  Weirdly, her parents were quiet and subdued.

“Good morning, Sweetheart.” Her father held a mug of coffee, the one with the store logo, a rose vine hanging from a new moon.

“Rose!” Tony slammed into her, way too exuberant for the early hour.  “Mum says you’re going on a trip but I can’t go with you.” He punctuated that with a pouted lower lip.  Going away, leaving home, it suddenly hit her. She pulled him into a hug until he squirmed and ran out the door to meet the school bus.

Reality of the prior night sat heavy in the air. Her parents stood motionless, tears in their eyes.  Rose swallowed back the hint of fear, of leaving home for this bizarre world her parents had now thrust her into.

“I guess it’s a little late for advice given they’ll be here for me any minute.”  Rose pulled a chair out as her mother set down a mug of coffee.

“The Doctor’s a good man and honourable,” her father said slowly, setting down his mug as Rose nibbled on buttered toast set out on the table.  He pulled up a chair next to her. “He’ll keep you safe.”

“But he’s not a man, is he?” Just a hint of bitterness crept into her voice.

“Sweetheart, I swear we never thought it would come to this.” Her mother, sat next to her father, clinging to his arm.  God, they looked so normal but the truth was none of them were.

“Yeah, I got that.  But it has and now I have to deal with it.  If I don’t, it’ll fall to Tony and I can’t let that happen.  He deserves better. He deserves the truth.”

“He’ll have that,” her father agreed.  “When he’s old enough to understand.” Rose shoved her plate away staring at them in disgust.

“Not too long.  He needs to know before he gets attached and makes plans.  That is if I don’t muck it all up. I mean who’s to say, this Doctor won’t hate me.  Could end up back here with all the wolf people against us. Not that I'm convinced there really are wolf people."

“Rose,” her father drew out pinching his nose.  About that time a knock sounded on the door.

“Guess that would be my ride.  Better get packed.” She fled any more conversation.  Rose wasn’t sure she wanted to hear any more. 

It was an odd feeling, leaving Powell's End. She'd spent her whole life there. It felt like she was losing something precious but there was also a hint of excitement, anticipation of something ahead as she rode in the back of the big black SUV with Rory next to her.

Rose learned he was on a medical track within the so called pack and was working as a nurse. Illness was rare in the community but injuries were not unheard of, especially if there was a fight for dominance or to increase standing within the pack. Those types of things were always hand to hand combat and injuries were expected. It all sounded a bit horrible to Rose.

As she and Rory talked about families and growing up in the outside world, Jack and Ianto would look back at her periodically and she couldn't' help but feel like they were trying to suss something out about her. There was something they weren't saying. If she directed a question at them, they responded although some of their answers were clearly guarded, especially when she'd asked them how long they'd been in Powell's End prior to approaching her family.

Suspicion grew as to their motives.  Had they been watching her before Jack made first contact? Part of her wondered if they were wolves, then maybe they were what scared the college students during their night of vandalism.

“You must have been in Powell’s End at least a few days before you showed up at the shop. You seemed familiar with town and certainly weren’t surprised to find me at the shop.” She tapped her fingers on the seat and didn’t miss how Rory suddenly became engrossed in his phone.

“Not long,” Jack answered evasively. Ianto stared silently forward, his face passive.

Definitely evasive.

“Funny, there was some trouble right before you showed up.  College students had the piss scared out of them. They thought they saw monsters.  Don’t suppose wolves might be roaming the woods. What do you think?”

“You have something you want to say, Rose?” Jack asked.

“Do you?” she countered, arms crossed and not content to just sit there being carted off to wolf town and to their leader.

“Not really.  Although one might suppose you don’t get much excitement in your town.  A few pissed students getting spooked in the middle of crime probably was the talk of town.  Still, they got what they deserved, caught red handed so to speak.”

“Yeah, cause every criminal gets stopped by monsters in Powell’s End.”  The car grew silent after her quip and Rose felt certain they’d been the wolves in question.  But why?

They stopped twice for meals and bathroom breaks. She learned very little about pack life other than from Rory's tales about fitting in and how the pack welcomed you and everyone would be excited to meet her.

“It really is wonderful, Rose,” Rory confessed with a light in his eyes.  “One of the best things re-joining the pack has been the feeling of being a part of something greater, a larger family. Then there’s Amy,” his voice softened at the girls name.  “We’re engaged to be married, all arranged of course.”

“And you didn’t find that weird?  I mean what about dating?”

“Oh, you still date but honestly, the matching part takes all the stress out.  It’s more like an introduction to particular people who have things in common with you.  I can’t imagine just going out randomly dating strangers. Amy is just…perfect for me.

“If you like those fiery-tempered aggressive red head types,” Jack teased from the front seat.  “You see Rose, this match probably saved our Rory from all the damage he would have endured from randomly dating such aggressive creatures.”

Rose looked back at Rory who directed a few withering looks at Jack.

Arranged marriages, promising your children to someone to repay debts and savage duels were still not acceptable concepts to Rose.  She tried to wrap her head around these men speaking so casually about such things but still looking so normal.

“So, what about your Alpha, the Doctor?  What sort of man or wolf or whatever is he?”

“You can make your own judgment once we reach Gallifrey.” Jack apparently took the lead in not telling her anything.  Rory again seemed transfixed with the landscape they were passing. Maybe dishonesty or withholding information was a werewolf trait.

Her mind wandered as she pondered this Alpha and pack life until eventually, she dozed off. Again, she dreamed of the woods and the wind blowing through her hair, of running free, adrenalin pumping through her veins along with a voice whispering  _ moonflower _ .

Within the tall pines and oaks stretching up into the starlight sky lay something darker.  Rose stopped short of a dark copse of trees, a heaviness pressing inward. An intangible sense of being hunted, of hatred and danger rooted her to the ground.

Behind her, a presence, strength enveloped her, filling her with a confidence to face whatever lay in the darkness.

_ He  _ was there. She smelled masculine clean, sandalwood; felt the heat of his body. Drawn backwards, she arched back into a solid, chest.  His teeth nipped at her neck in a way that shot heat and pleasure down her spine.

“Moonflower,” His voice, gravelled and a caress deep into her soul.  “I need you. Come to me.” She awakened with a startled gasp.

Rory seemed oblivious but she found Jack and Ianto watching her again. She slumped down into her seat and leaned her head against the cool glass of the window watching the darkening landscape pass by.  Her neck tingled in memory even as she worried about the significance of the dream and the man she was about to meet.

They arrived in Gallifrey after sunset so she didn't get a good look at where they were except that they had driven along miles and miles of roads winding through forests.

Mist swirled around the car and with no city lights nearby, it was pitch black out. It was something different for Rose having always been in a town or city with constant light shining, even at night.

As she gazed out the car windows trying to peer into the inky blackness, Rose wondered if it was easier to see the stars in this secluded place. Soon, they pulled up to a stone mansion with warmly lit windows shining onto the gravel driveway.

She slowly exited the SUV and stared up at the three-story grey stone house rising up into the night, an ominous sign. The hairs raised on the nape of her neck as if in warning. Rose pulled her jean jacket around her and nervously ran a hand through her shoulder length blonde hair.

Jack walked up next to her.

"Don't be afraid. You're an honoured guest here and under the Doctor's protection."  Rose looked at Jack.

"On one’s ever said why he calls himself that. I mean does he have a real name?"

"The Doctor is his chosen name. It's what everyone calls him. Just remember, he's the alpha, the highest rank in the pack and right now, he favours you."

"That means everyone has to be nice to me, I guess. That's good. At least, until he chucks me out, right?"

"Chucks you out? You already planning on pissing him off then?" Jack asked, shaking his head.

Rose shrugged. "I don't like being ordered about, much less some bloke mucking about in my dreams."

She turned to walk in the house, missing the look of intense interest on his face.

Jack suspected she had dreams of the Doctor due to comments made by his good friend but he hadn't pressed her on it. Watching her in the car and then listening to her confirmation made him realize how unusual she was and how serious this made things.

Her arrival and potential relationship with the Doctor was going to cause quite the commotion. In fact, he could already feel the tension in the air from certain members of the pack that had aspirations of the alpha mating variety and wouldn't like Rose sweeping in and foiling their plans.

There was definitely trouble in the air. He looked around to see if anyone had heard her. He didn't see anything but knew there was always someone on the prowl for this type of information. Ianto looked over at him from the car.

"Yan, keep your eyes sharp. I got a bad feeling about this night."

Ianto nodded and they followed her into the house.

Rose marched toward the house, determined to get to the bottom of this wolf nonsense. Inside the double doors, was a warm and inviting party atmosphere with soft jazz music playing in the background.

Everyone looked normal enough except dressed a bit posh with men in suits and ties and women in the latest fashionable dress or pantsuit. Everyone turned and stared at her, their chatter dying down as she walked in. Rose slowed, uncertainty knotting her stomach at the intimidating cold scrutiny.

There she was, a shop girl from Powell's End at some fancy party dressed in jeans and trainers. She bit her lip and looked around before Rory called her name and she continued to follow him further into the house.

She passed people chatting, socializing, drinking wine and lounging about in the home which was decorated in a palette of blues and browns in a comfortable but modern design in contrast to the rustic stone exterior.

Whispers hung in the air along with snide comments about her family name and catty remarks about how she looked low class, unworthy of the Alpha's attention and how someone named Jeanne would sort her out.

Wolf or human, some things remained the same. Like pitying whispers how she lived such a deprived existence or the curious, wondering about her and her life outside. A beautiful willowy ginger haired girl dressed in a bright yellow short mini dress marched over, grabbed Rory and snogged him.

"What took you so long?" she demanded and then turned to Rose. "So you're one of our missing members then?" She looked Rose up and down. "You look normal enough although you have human stink all over you. We'll have to take care of that," she said sharply.

Rose leaned over and sniffed her shoulder not understanding.

"I'm Amy Pond. Rory is mine," she announced with an arrogant tilt of her chin.

Stunned at the abrupt comment, Rose hesitated before a light pinged that this was a pack thing, a claiming of a mate.

"Oh yeah, um he mentioned he was engaged.” She glanced at Rory before holding her hand out to Amy. “It's nice to meet you and congratulations. I'm Rose," she said with a smile.

Amy's eyes narrowed on Rose not liking the way Rose looked at her Rory or how familiar she had been with him. Amy moved herself in front of Rory and glared at Rose.

"He’s mine,” She growled.

"She doesn't understand, Amy," Rory interrupted before Amy caused an incident with Rose.  "She's from the outside, remember," Rory continued and looked at Rose apologetically.

"Yes, well she's in Gallifrey now. She needs to learn to be respectful our ways and not be all…flirty around taken people."

"Flirty?" Rose didn't think she had been. "Um sorry but no.  I’m not here to flirt." Rose bit back annoyance. Everything about this party rubbed her the wrong way.  She didn’t belong among these stuck-up strange people. Part of her wanted to find Jack and insist on leaving now, go back home and pretend none of this existed.

"Amy, chill out," Jack said, stepping in. "Rose isn't after Rory. She's just being nice. I realize this is a foreign concept to you but on the outside, some people are actually nice and not out to steal someone's mate."

"Yes, well just so she's aware she can't just swan in here and think she can charm anyone she wants."

" _ She _ is right here and not interested, thanks. I'm just here to meet this Doctor and pay my respects is all then you can all be rid of me." No more polite Rose. Past her limit, she’d had enough of this posh, bitchy crowd. She wasn’t impressed with any of them. "Jack, can't we just get this over with."

There was a wave of murmuring about how rude she was, about outsiders and why was she even here. Jack tensed. This was not a promising start.

"Give it a chance, Rose. Amy's a bit protective of Rory. Come on, I'll get you a drink and you can relax a bit. It was a long trip and you've had a stressful time."

Rose sighed and allowed him to lead her over to a lounge area that opened out to a deck. No one approached her.  The sensation of being thrust aside as an outcast slammed into her. So much for a welcoming pack atmosphere. Wound up and in need of fresh air, she wandered outside to the deck. Lit up with candles and lights glowing softly against the wood, she looked up toward the sky and could indeed see more stars.

The chill sank beneath her light coat but Rose found it refreshing out there under the stars. Far more comfortable than inside with the snooty wolf people. She half giggled at that. This whole thing was so mental. She took a moment leaning against the railing to close her eyes and just breath, letting the tension and worries go and just focusing being outside in the fresh air.

She didn't know if she felt any different. After all, she was around the pack now, and from what she'd been told, that meant her dormant senses would awaken. As of that moment, she couldn't tell except…she could smell the woods. There was a pungent, earthy scent with a touch of must or maybe it was the fog.

The sound of a slight breeze through the trees and the whisper of leaves reminded her of her dream and the Doctor nipping at her neck.

Her meditation was interrupted by the click clack of high heeled shoes on the deck. She turned to find a polished, aristocratic woman, dressed in white silk trousers and a matching silk top. She had a sophisticated air about her with silky blonde hair curling about her shoulders.

Diamond jewellery sparkled in the dim light as did her silver designer sandals. She was surrounded by three women who looked like models out of Vogue magazine, all of whom gazed at her with disdain as if she was something nasty on the bottom of their shoe.

"So, you are the girl then, the Tyler girl, the one he made agreement on before you were born?" she asked with a cold sophisticated voice.

"I'm Rose Tyler, if that's what you're getting at." Rose could see this woman was assessing her and finding her lacking. This wasn't the first time Rose had been around girls who had been handed everything in their lives and sniffed disdainfully at anyone who didn't meet their high and haughty standards.

"I am Jeanne Poisson," she stated with arrogance and as if she expected her name to be significant to Rose.

"Nice to meet you Jeanne."

Her polite greeting seemed to incense the woman who straightened her shoulders and glared at Rose.

"How dare you be so impudent! Do you think you can walk in here being so disrespectful, disregarding our ways, the ways of your ancestors without repercussions?" One of the women next to her, a brunette in an off the shoulder emerald green dress spoke.

"Perhaps she should be taught a lesson about respect."  Rose sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Look, I just arrived here and I don't know anything about your ways or rules or whatever much less my ancestors. I didn't even know you lot existed until yesterday so sorry if you think I'm being rude but I'm doing it on purpose. I'm just here to meet this Alpha bloke."

Even in the dim light, Jeanne’s face flushed a deep crimson and she looked like flames were about to shoot from her beautiful blue eyes and then she smiled coldly at Rose.

"I shall educate you, child. You are low born, a disgrace to our pack. Your very presence insults us all. You are nothing here and yet you walk into this house and expect the privilege of meeting our Alpha. The very idea is a disgrace and insult. I am your superior in every way and yet you stand there with your human clothes and disgusting manners speaking to me with no deference.

“It violates everything we stand for about decency, respect and knowing your place." She paused and took a step forward toward Rose, rising up taller as if attempting to intimidate her.

"You think you can come here and take him from me! Me! Jeanne Poisson of clan Poisson! The highest of high, those who helped build this place!"

This was like the icing on the cake of her shitty day. Rose stood there watching this woman, who obviously was used to people bowing before her, go off on some weird pack tirade.

Rose decided the best strategy was to let the woman blow off some steam and hopefully Jack would show up and get her out of there. This only confirmed Rose's initial feeling about how horrible this place was and how much she didn’t want to be there.

She really hoped she could meet this Alpha bloke and just leave and never look back at these stroppy wolf people.  Jeanne took another step closer and, in a blink, Rose’s cheek stung from the crack of Jeanne’s hand slapped across her jaw.

"You will listen to me when I speak to you, child! And you will bow down now and show me proper respect and submission!"

Something inside of Rose snapped and before she knew it, she slapped the elegant but bitchy woman. In one satisfying moment, everything changed.  All the anger and resentment bubbled up in Rose until her focus narrowed on the blonde wolf bitch.

"I'm not kneeling before anyone least of all some snobby bint who thinks she's better than everyone else because of what? What your family did hundreds of years ago? Do you really think that means anything to me? You're just some insecure spoiled rich girl who gets off on putting other people down."

The world went silent. Even the women beside Jeanne, until one of them whispered, "You ignorant chav, you are so dead."

Jeanne let out an unholy growling rumble from her chest, her eyes widened and she screamed as she came at rose with teeth bared. Rose sank deep into herself, a simmering anger guiding her actions.  It was almost like watching it happen to someone else.

Her perspective narrowed and instincts she didn't know she had kicked in. She would not allow this conceited she wolf to push her around much less end her life.

Jeanne shot forward. Rose easily grabbed her arm and executed a perfect tae kwon do move throwing Jeanne to the deck.

Rose’s lips twitched with an adrenaline filled amusement at how Rose's parents had insisted she take a self-defence course after several muggings in town one summer. It was rather ironic that she would use these skills to defend herself from some jealous wolf woman. Then again, maybe her parents had been expecting this and wanted her safe.

Jeanne didn’t stay down for long and once again flew at Rose again knocking her down. But Rose rolled with her and used Jeanne's body weight against her so that Jeanne tumbled into the railing, cracking the thick wood.

"I will kill you!" Jeanne shouted and guttural growl rumbled out of her as she sprang at Rose.  This time, she dug her nails into Rose's shoulder cutting through her clothing.

The burning, pin needle like pain made Rose fight harder. She punched Jeanne in the nose, breaking it and blood spurted all over her designer white clothing.  The iron salty scent infused Rose with a shiver of satisfaction even as Jeanne lunged forward at Rose's neck, teeth bared and trying to rip her throat out. 

"Bloody hell but is this how you lot do it, biting and scratching," Rose grunted out, planting her palm in Jeanne's face to keep her off her neck.

Rose twisted her body around tangling her legs with Jeanne's and flipped them so she was on top and grabbed the blonde's hair to slam her head into the deck several times until Jeanne stopped moving. Rose stood up breathing hard, leaving the woman lying on the deck.

Wiping the back of her hand on her mouth, a giddy satisfaction tightened her chest. She caught movement, Jeanne’s friends who looked like they were ready to pounce on Rose.

"You know, I didn't come here to fight anyone. I told you, I just came here to see this Alpha. But you had to go and start shit with me. God, but you people are complete nutters! No wonder you have to lock yourselves away if your first reaction to anyone new is be arrogant, conceited prats walking around talking about how superior you are and trying to make people bow down to you like some sort of gods."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw Jeanne leap up and come at her again.

Rose cursed, planted her legs in a throwing position, grabbed Jeanne by the arm and threw her off the deck. Jeanne landed on the stone patio beneath with a sick thud.

Her friends came at Rose simultaneously and Rose knew she was in trouble until a voice rang out, "Enough!"

The three women stopped in their fancy dresses and designer high heels and bowed their heads. That's when Rose noticed that this skirmish had not gone unnoticed. Ianto stood off to the side his foot on the neck of a middle-aged blonde woman and a similarly aged man lying unconscious beside her.

Jack was there too. He stood with a group of party goers including Rory and Amy who were staring at Rose, jaws dropped and eyes wide.

A man walked out of the shadows. He was tall and thin wearing a long black coat, dressed in jeans, trainers and a t-shirt. His face was covered by shadows but there was an air of authority about him that one could feel even on the other side of the deck.

The crowd of people who had gathered to watch the fight between Jeanne and Rose backed away in deference. The three women fell t their knees, tears running down their cheeks ruining their carefully made up faces.

"Did I not make clear that Rose Tyler was under my protection?"

Rose’s breath caught at the familiar accent, drawling yet inflected with a warmth that flared deep in her belly.

He strode around the deck slowly and ominously, his face illuminated by the light. He had brown hair spiked and tousled with freckles on the pale skin of his face now exhibiting the fury of an alpha who was disobeyed.

His dark gaze fell on several people who all looked away. Rose didn’t flinch, yearning to finally meet him face to face.

"Did I not order that she was to be welcomed?" he asked again in calm voice that vibrated with a barely leashed anger.

He walked to the railing beside Rose and looked down at Jeanne.  His presence raised the hairs on the nape of her neck and she stilled, waiting or perhaps stilling at the predator so close to her.

"Clean up this mess and I suggest you consider how you will beg forgiveness for your actions this night, for disrespecting me, my house and my lovely guest." The three women looked chastised.

"But Jeanne," one of the women dared to respond.

"Jeanne has disgraced her family with her disobedience to me, in attacking a guest in MY HOUSE," he emphasized. "Her arrogance and presumptions have gone too far this time and now she and her family will live with the repercussions. You know our ways. She challenged Rose, someone who many here consider lessor in standing than themselves and yet Jeanne lost.

“Rose defeated her in a fight I would consider stacked against her taking into account her inexperience and lack of training in the art of pack combat. You all witnessed what happened here and I expect you to respect the result. Jeanne struck first. Jeanne initiated a challenge and Rose showed dominance."

No one said a word but then no had to. Rose had unknowingly established herself and disrespecting her now was risking their own standing. The only sound after he spoke was coming from the defeated Jeanne who was still crying out about killing and what was hers as people dragged her away from where she had landed.

Rose’s high from the fight began ebbing.  Her insides quivered as reality set in.

The crowd soon quietly slipped back into the house. The Alpha turned and walked to the middle of the deck facing those inside the house as if radiating his displeasure.

Rose stood by the railing trembling, from her wounds and the repercussions from what she’d just done. She'd been attacked, fought with one of these creatures and could have been killed. What had happened?

The wind blew through the woods capturing her attention as it swept up the scent of what lay within and she closed her eyes immersing herself in it wishing away what had just happened.

Was that what it was like returning to the pack, having these feelings well up?

She remembered how angry she'd been and how she just wanted to lash out and how easy it was to rely on the brief amount of self-defence training she'd had. If she hadn't had that…

She couldn't think about what would have happened.

Another scent captured her attention and then she could feel the brush of his arm against hers, the heat from him  _ him _ standing behind her.

"I'm sorry Moonflower," he murmured into her ear as he rested his hands on the deck railing beside where her own hands gripped it. "You shouldn't have been treated so poorly."

"Yeah, friendly lot you have here. More like a pit of hungry snarling wolves then this organized family type pack I keep hearin' about," she answered, her voice shaking slightly.

He nuzzled her hair, his nose grazing the shell of her ear.

"Mmmm you smell good," he growled, the heat of his breath on the delicate skin of her ear made her shiver.

Rose licked her lips as her heart pounded in her chest. Having him close like this made her feel hot in places she tried to ignore.

"Funny, they told me I smelled too human like that was a bad thing." A dark chuckle vibrated through her as he leaned into her hair again.

"But my senses are keener." He inhaled. "Lemon, sage, peppermint and tea tree oil." She felt him sift her hair through his fingers. "Soft too. I like it."  Rose relaxed against his chest.

"My…my mum makes it special. She's good with that stuff," she stuttered.

"Yes, I remember she was good with herbs and spices but we can talk family matters another time."

Rose hissed when she jarred her injured shoulder, her denim coat soaked in blood.

He swept her hair back and his fingers softly caressed her jaw down her neck. "You’re hurt.  Let’s get you inside and some medical care. You need to rest, refresh, give us a chance to show you that Gallifrey can be home."

Rose nodded, unable to speak. Something about him, the tenor of his voice, the way he touched her even with the barest touch was making her feel hot, excited, nervous and something else she couldn't even think about but was bringing a flush to her cheeks. She felt him back up but then lean in next to her one more time.

"And Moonflower, if you run, I will chase you," he promised. If Rose wasn't flushed before, she was now all the way to the roots of her hair.

She turned to confront him on what he meant but he was gone. Rose leaned back against the railing trying to calm down when she heard Jack calling to her. She looked up to find him smiling.

"I think you've had enough fresh air for the night. Let's get you settled in with a nice cup of chamomile tea."

"But the Doctor, he was…."

"Angry that you were attacked and mistreated; impressed at how you held your temper inside and proud that you didn't allow Jeanne to bully you. Hell, I'm in awe of you over that. I can't tell you how many times all of us have wanted to knock her down a peg or two."

"Why didn't you?" Rose asked.

"Politics. Her family is powerful. Wasn't worth starting a war over her being rude and condescending."

Rose felt her stomach drop. "Is that what I've done, start a war?"

Jack smiled even brighter and walked over to her, taking her shaking hand and placing it on his arm he lead her inside.

"No, you didn't. She initiated the challenge and by our laws, you had the right to defend yourself. You legitimately defeated her by our laws, our code of honour and by those same laws, you hold higher status than her.

“Honey, you're a hero to a whole lot of people here.  Anything else the Doctor will sort out."

Rose looked up at him as she stumbled up the stairs, all the party goers having left.  Jack stayed by her side, supporting her has she sucked in air at the racking pain down her shoulder, barely able to lift her feet to walk up the stairs.

"But I heard them in here. They think I'm rubbish."

"That's a little harsh and not true. They thought you were easy pickings, innocent and uneducated. They won't make that mistake again and the Doctor won't tolerate it either. You may not realize it but you're a force to be reckoned with."

"But, I'm not. I'm just Rose Tyler."  Her heart thumped in time to the pounding pain her shoulder as they ended up on the first floor landing and stopped at a door to a luxurious bedroom suite in which her overnight bag had been placed.

"And Rose Tyler is someone special. The Doctor saw that before you were born and it's why he asked for you. Everyone here just witnessed it. You may not be pack raised but you are one of us.

“It's part of you, deep inside and you drew on that tonight. If that's what you can do after a short time around us, on your home soil, think of what you can do tomorrow."

"But I don't want--” Jack guided her into the room.

"Stop worrying. You’re safe here, I promise you. Ianto and I won't allow a repeat of what Jeanne did. I'm sorry you had to go through that and I take responsibility but I won't say I'm sorry that you tossed the cow over the railing.

“That was just pure poetry in motion." He flicked on the light switch. "Now let it go. There’s healing salve in the bathroom and some of Yan’s special tea by the bed. Sleep and heal. You need your rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

Rose nodded, eyes heavy with exhaustion.

Jack closed the door confidant Rose would be safe and sleep. Ianto walked up next to him.

"She is far more than we expected. It's a good match."

Jack looked over at him. "Yeah but it's not going to be easy."

"You lied to her about the Poissons. They won't just let this lie. They'll see it as an insult."

"There won't be anything they can do if Rose and the Doctor are mated," Jack responded.

"And you think she'll agree? She's already questioning things, feels like the outsider she is and resists her natural instincts," Ianto cautiously reminded him.

"She didn't resist out on that deck and she's not resisting other more pleasurable instincts. “Ianto arched a brow at him.

"You think she'll submit? She's independent and stubborn."

"Part of her is already his." Jack looked at the closed door. "I don't think it will be too much longer and our moonflower will be embracing what she is and who she belongs to. It's a full moon in two days and I already feel it building in her." Ianto walked beside him down the stairs.

"We best be prepared then. They'll try and strike before he can complete his claim."

"That they will. I'd say, tomorrow will be a crash course in Pack politics and the art of combat for the Doctor’s moonflower."

"And the Doctor?" Ianto asked, his face passive but the inflection in his voice revealing his concern for his Alpha.

"He has his own plans and we haven't been invited to be privy to them. Now come on, we've had a long day too. I could use a drink.

The two men left as Rose did her best to relax and let sleep claim her. Her night was somewhat less than restful than she hoped. She dreamed… There were dreams of fighting, of blonde demons trying to tear her apart; of her parents whispering words of encouragement; of running through the cool welcoming woods; and of her Doctor, murmuring her name and chasing her…


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

The night passed slowly for everyone, Rose, Jack and the Doctor.

Long nights weren’t foreign to Jack.  Many times, he’d patrolled the woods, been out all night on a hunt or reconnaissance when pack turmoil threatened to disrupt their town.  This night, disruption was more in the form of heightened sexual kind mixed with the she-wolf suffering from a case of post-fight adrenaline crash and a touch of shock.

No wolf worth anything could miss Rose’s whimpers and the soft rustle of sheets as she kicked and thrashed through a nightmare.  When Jack sleepily walked down the hall to check on her, he found the Doctor at her door, stiff and glaring at said door as if it were his enemy.

"Is she…" Jack started to ask, standing in nothing but jim jam bottoms, rubbing at his eyes.

"I'll see to her," the Doctor interrupted, shirtless in just his jeans, every muscle tense.  The Alpha curled his fingers around the door frame until the wood cracked as they listened to Rose thrash and whimper.

“Isn’t this sort of your special time?  I mean you told me you dream together and fight off her nightmares.”

“She won’t let me in this time.  And I doubt she’d appreciate me waltzing in her room uninvited to wake her up.  Especially after what happened out on the deck.” Jack flinched at the bite in his friend’s voice.  Failure on Jack’s part even if Rose showed she didn’t need his protection.

“By pack law, and the consent of her parents, it’s you’re right to offer whatever comfort she needs.”

“Jack.” The drawn-out tone was almost a growl.

“You’re the Alpha.  Her parents promised her to you and you’re entitled to lay claim how you see fit.  Not to gloss over the fact she wants you. Everyone saw it, how she yielded and arched her neck when you approached.”

“Don’t cross a line.”

“You’re right.  It’s not my place or decision,” Jack agreed.  “It’s yours and hers. Just so you know, both of you have support with whatever.” Jack left it open ended even though the Doctor’s desire was thick and heady permeating the air until Jack almost choked on It, or let it inspire him to find his own nightly entertainment. 

“Guess I’ll leave you to it.  Call if you need me.”

Jack turned to leave. Part of him hesitated. 

“Jack.  Thank you.”

Jack nodded and slipped away as the sight of the Doctor straining to control his instincts triggered memories of their past, of their friendship and how everything had changed over the years and would change more now with Rose.

He'd met the Doctor decades ago at a pack hunt. Jack was lower in standing and some members of a higher standing family, the Van Stattens, wanted to torment him. One of them had shot an arrow into his leg.

Many had laughed and run by him. Others just didn't want to get involved.  But not the Doctor. He'd stopped, helped pull out the arrow and bound the wound. He'd then handed Jack a rabbit he'd caught earlier and whispered a short cut to him.

Jack had made it back to the hunting lodge before the Van Stattens with rabbit in hand. It had embarrassed his tormentors. Later, when they'd challenged him, the Doctor fought at his side, the two of them soundly defeating the Van Stattens and securing Jack's increased status in the pack. Jack swore an oath of allegiance to the Doctor that day.

He'd kept that oath, following his friend, brilliant, intuitive and always seeming to know what would happen before it did.  The Doctor had saved countless lives. He also listened to the opinions of others no matter what their standing in the pack. When the Doctor asked for help, for others to stand with him, they had.  When the Doctor ascended to Alpha, he took them with him.

Jack settled into his quarters a few suites down the hall from Rose, the past, present and potential future Decker often talked about pounding in his head.  They were on the cusp of change, all of it dependent on one outcast family, and a seemingly unremarkable she-wolf who had captured his Alpha’s attention. 

It made him nervous but at the same time, Rose had earned her place, much to Jack’s surprise.  Maybe he shouldn’t have been. On the way there, she’d fired off questions like the pack’s lead investigator, Ianto.  Even Yan had been impressed.

Roses demands for answers were mixed with a hint of fear at her own heritage.  Therein lay the danger and uncertainty of how she’d react to just about anything. 

Perhaps that’s why the Doctor held back.  Such a pain in the arse in Jack’s mind. A good shag would solve it.  But Jack knew he had to tread softly. 

Love blurred the lines of logic and strategy and the Doctor was, at the very least, infatuated with her.  So much so, he sent Jack and Ianto to her small town to dispose of any potential threat.

Although, Jack never thought the skinny musician was much of a threat. Still, the Doctor ordered them to scare him away.  A smile burst past his weariness. Poor Ianto lost a game of rock, paper, scissors and was stuck with the job. He’d had a sit down with the pathetic gangly boy and suggested he take a hike or bad things would happen to him, in that quiet menacing way only Yan could.

After that, he’d thought getting Rose to Gallifrey would settle everything.  Hell, Rose defeated Jeanne and was still standing in the end. Sparks flew between her and the Doctor. Except, Rose didn't think she belonged in Gallifrey or to the Doctor.  Love was so complicated.

The Doctor wasn’t exactly what the humans called a Lothario.  But as Alpha he could have any available, she-wolf in the pack, if he wanted.  Rose’s resistance only added fuel to the fire burning between them. She may not know it but the Rose played a she-wolf mating game.

Despite her independence, human upbringing and assertion she wasn't the Doctor’s…she wanted to be chased, caught and claimed. The Doctor held back almost taunting the poor girl or maybe he was stimulating her senses and seducing her.  That Jack understood…in theory. He’d never had the patience for the drawn-out approach. But then again waiting for the approaching full moon, her first, would be the ultimate pay off. Lucky Alpha.

Eventually, he dozed off only to be awakened to the thud of footsteps down the stairs.  The Alpha was on the prowl.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

Rose's first official day in Gallifrey started out late. After a night filled with dreams, some pleasant and some disturbing, she lingered in her very comfortable bed.  Sleeping in had always been a luxury at home, and one she enjoyed as much as her mother would allow.

As if her mum’s voice rang out across the distance, Rose emerged from her cocoon of blankets to greet the way too sunny room.  Her breath caught as she slid from bed stretching scabbed wounds, puckered and reddened at the edges.

Aching but healed.  Too healed. Because she wasn’t human.

Her chest tightened and it spread to her legs like a drumming in her veins to run.  Inhaling a calming breath, she stilled by the wall of windows, sheer curtains fluttering in the wind.  The buzz of a lawnmower mixed with the scent of fresh cut grass prickled at her senses, making her nose itch as much as her healing wounds.

Rose needed to move and do something normal like shower, change and march downstairs and tell Mr. Fine-Arsed-Alpha what he could do with this whole claiming thing.  A definitely not quick shower, more healing salve and her favourite outfit and Rose was ready to face off against the leader of these wolves. In theory.

"Morning!” Jack greeted in the kitchen, a mug of steaming coffee in his hand as an offering of peace.  “I was beginning to think you'd taken a runner."

Rose arched a brow at him as she sipped her coffee. Somehow, she doubted he meant that. After all, these wolf people proclaimed they had heightened senses and she was sure the house was being watched. Then she remembered the Doctor's promise about chasing her, how he had whispered it into her ear seductively and she couldn't help the smile that emerged.

"So, I thought I might show you around a bit today, introduce you to a few people, maybe even some of the family you haven't met."

Rose decisively put her coffee cup down on the granite counter, staring into it for a moment before looking up at Jack.

"I Thought I was here to talk to this Alpha of yours." Jack inclined his head.

"Yes, you are but you're also here to see what pack life is like and you still have family that would like to meet you."

The family here hadn't approved of her parents' relationship much less her. She didn't know much more about them other than because of this disapproval, her parents had to sneak off. Not people she wanted to meet, much less get to know.

Then there was how most of the people at the party last night had treated her. They hadn't exactly been welcoming and she didn't really fancy facing off against family that was already prejudiced.  With a heavy sigh she gave Jack her best glare before laying into why she was here.

“I didn’t come here to meet some judgmental family that’s never bothered to write, call or give a shite about me or my brother.”

"A lot’s changed over the years.  Give them a chance, Rose. They know you're here and why.  They want a chance to make amends."

"Can't they just make amends over the phone with my mum.  I mean they owe her." Rose admitted to herself she sounded a little petulant but meeting estranged family held no appeal.

"Nope!" Jack responded with far too much enthusiasm. "You’re here. Jackie isn’t.  This needs to happen face to face. You’re going to meet your family and see what a wonderful place this is to live.”

“Yeah, it’s great, just like last night,” Rose crossed her arms not ready to give in so easily.  Especially not when the Doctor hadn’t even made an appearance.

“Not everyone is like the crowd last night. They were all a bit put out that you were being brought here as an honoured guest, at least, until you proved yourself."  Jack sipped his coffee, a twinkle in his eyes. Rose still wasn’t impressed.

"Everyone knows you throttled Jeanne. Gossip like that spread like wildfire. I told you, you're a hero to a lot of people. I don't think you realize how much you showed who you are last night. You tolerated a lot of snubs, insults and disrespect and stayed fairly polite about it.”

Rose looked back at her coffee, both enjoying the compliment but also resenting the cause of it.

“When Jeanne crossed the line of polite etiquette and issued the challenge, you responded as you should have and according to pack law, even if you didn't know it. It showed self-control, kindness on your part but that you weren't a push over and would defend your right to be here.

“That's important. Now, enough coffee, let's get going. It's going to be a busy day and you have an appointment with the Doctor for tea this afternoon. So let's get a move on it."

"This afternoon? You mean I have to wait to get this whole thing over with?" Jack laughed even as her face pinched into a scowl.

"Eager little thing, aren't you? The Alpha is a busy man and Jeanne’s family was put out last night.”

Rose groaned and tipped her head back wondering how she ended up in this mess.  Wolf people hated her and now some all-powerful family was out to get her.

“Oh no you don’t   I told you, you were in the right.  They’re just up their own arse with hurt ego.  The Doctor will settle them down and meet with his counsel to deal with protocols and formalities involved in your return.”

“Protocols?” Rose found the concept even more bizarre than fighting werewolves.

“Your family was outcast by a prior Alpha. This isn't going to be settled in a few minutes or even a few hours so relax and enjoy yourself. Let us spoil you a little."

Rose sighed, impatient to get her future settled. Part of her just wanted to tell this Alpha she didn't' care what her father promised, she made up her own mind and no one owned her.

This was all just a pleasant get to you know your family roots visit and that was all. Then she returned to the real world and her boring life that didn't include crazy wolf people attacking her.

But there was a niggling doubt in her mind about this plan. A part of her very much wanted to spend time here, to learn more about this life and especially the Doctor.  He’d only been in the periphery of her dreams and nightmares. The real thing had been next to her last night on the deck. God but he was tall with those lean hips and an arse she was sorely tempted to pat.

She hadn’t, and maintained her self-control.  No matter how much she wanted to lean into his arms, nuzzle his chest inhaling that gorgeous scent of sandalwood and leather, she didn’t.  He was the controlling Alpha who ordered her brought to him like a sack of goods.

Her determination to be strong and tell him  _ No _ was sorely tested when the man himself walked into the kitchen.

“Sorry I missed breakfast.  Banana.” He prowled toward her, hips swaying in tight jeans and navy Henley that looked soft enough she wanted to pet it.  Or him. More than pet. She was in so much trouble as her heart raced in her chest. She accepted the banana thinking very un-banana-like thoughts.

“Potassium,” he spoke but all Rose could hear was a slight rough caress in his voice and focused on his lower pouty lip.

“Thanks,” she finally responded, her own voice raspy in a way that revealed more than she wanted. 

“I know you didn’t sleep well.  I was worried you’d feel pressured if I—” he let the words hang.

“But you were still there.  How is that exactly?” She cradled the banana to her chest and pondered a good slow peel just to see how he’d react.  Bad Rose was definitely in control this morning.

“We’re connected.  Sort of like we both are to the pack only more intimately.” 

Rose lost herself to the seductive pronunciation and chocolate brown eyes that promised warmth and a silkiness that flowed deep in her belly.  His mobile chimed.

“I’m sorry we can’t…talk further,” he said with a heavy innuendo.  “Duty calls. Enjoy your banana and I’ll see you later…Moonflower.”

Rose nearly melted on the spot.  She blinked and he was heading out the door, looking over his shoulder once, focused on her lips before he left with one more heavy stare.   Rose nearly mashed the banana in her hand. Never had anyone made her feel that hot and bothered and utterly desired.

“See, told you some of us were friendly.”  Jack’s voice jarred her. “I’ll get the car while you get your breakfast.” He nodded at the fruit, lips twitching as she held it up and stared.  Good thing Jack left. Rose needed a moment. 

It was a whirlwind tour of Gallifrey, a small town not unlike Powell’s end.  Jack had started with a driving tour, stopping off at one of the schools for a quick tour along with walking around a library, through the down town and stopped off at a few shops.  The distraction cooled her thoughts about the Doctor as she took it all in, wolf people living in a small British town.

Much to Rose's surprise, everyone was nice. People stopped on the street to meet her and chat with her. Some of the people she met mentioned growing up with her parents although they looked much younger. That's when Rose began to accept that even though everything looked normal, that was only on the surface. They were still different.

She remembered Rory had casually mentioned how people aged different here and the benefits of living in Gallifrey as part of the pack.

It was more than that though. Everyone knew everyone and they were often related in some way. There was subtle acknowledgments as well, if one was paying attention. It might be a slight inclination of head out of respect to Jack or how one person deferred to another walking into a building.

Jack noticed she was quiet as they walked down the street toward the local museum.

"You okay?" he asked as they strolled down the street.

Rose walked slowly next to him, her casual style clashing a bit with Jack's polished suit.

She would have looked normal in Powell's End.  Here she might be a bit too bohemian. Her boots clicked on the cobblestone road as she tugged her jean skirt down over her black tights. She wore her denim jacket over a purple top and had a multi coloured scarf Mrs. Smith had knitted for her wound around her neck. She'd braided her hair for simplicity and applied her normal make up which was far more than the women in this town wore. It was another awkward moment for her.

"Rose," Jack asked again.

"Yeah, I'm all right, it's just…it's so normal but at the same time so different. It's just hard is all."

Jack slipped her arm through his and escorted her down the street like a proper lady making Rose giggle.

"You think you don't fit in here and that we’re different from where you were raised.  I don’t think you thought that earlier with the Doctor.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and Rose’s cheeks flushed hot.

“Seriously, Jack.  If anyone’s completely different from normal people, it’s your Alpha.”  She leaned into Jack and spoke quietly. “Normal people don’t meet in dreams.  I mean I may not remember a lot but…I know him and that’s a bit odd.”

“And not the way it works here either.  That’s just you two,” he confided. “But point taken. We aren’t the same as humans.  Except when you think about it, as a society, people who share the same planet, live our lives, have families and the like, are we so different?”

Rose wasn’t sure how to answer.

“The world is filled with a variety of beings from different cultures, with different beliefs or morals and yet somehow we find a way to coexist. It may not always be friendly but there is that one tangible thing we can't ignore.  We want to live a life and be happy."

Rose passed two women holding hands, a little girl between them gushing over her iPad to her mothers.  Family just like anywhere. And further down the road, and elderly couple sat on a park bench feeding squirrels.

"I never thought of it that way."

"Trust me, pack business aside, everyone here still gets up and puts their pants on just like everyone else in the world." He leaned into her ear. "Although some people probably wear silk while others wear pants with fruit on them and others just go commando." He winked at her and Rose burst out laughing the sound of which carried down the street and earned a few curious looks.

Jack, of course, noticed. Escorting Rose through town was assured to garner attention. It wasn't just that everyone knew she belonged to the Doctor. It was her natural effervescence and charisma. Her smile had the most amazing power to brighten anyone's mood and she oozed compassion. The people they'd met thus far felt it and responded to her positively.

Of course, the fact that Rose had bested Jeanne also worked in her favour amongst certain circles. There was a shift of power in the air and Rose was the epicentre of it.

“And here we are at Gallifrey’s finest education centre.”  Jack ushered her into the museum and amongst the quiet, polished marble floors and displays Rose's mood lightened. In fact, she was much more relaxed and Jack could feel her settling in.

“Harriet Jones, curator and expert on our history, this is Rose Tyler.”

“Miss Tyler,” Harriet grasped her hand in a warm handshake.  “I’m so looking forward to showing you about our rich history.” 

Rose had never been much of a history buff but Harriet brought history to life with the story of how their people evolved and retained their individuality from human beings throughout history.  As well as their part in events that formed the world in which they now lived.

It was at the Founding of Gallifrey exhibit that things went pear shaped.

Rose was admiring some paintings and listening to Harriet regale her with tales of the past when a polished, white haired man and woman walked up followed by what Rose would call an entourage of five other people dressed just as poshly.

Harriet sputtered to a stop when she saw them and inclined her head.

"Mr. and Mrs. Poisson, we are honoured," Harriet said in deference. Rose immediately went on defence.  Poisson like Jeanne.

"Yes, you are," Francois Poisson," drawled sounding bored, his dark eyes focused on Rose.

He was a pale older man with shoulder length white hair tied at the nape of his neck, dressed in a conservative dark grey suit with a cravat pinned with a diamond stud.

His wife, Adeleine, wore a stylish modern cut pale pink suit and matching pumps, her blonde hair in a chignon setting off enormous diamond stud earrings. She also shot an accusatory look at Rose whilst simultaneously holding herself in a haughty demeanour.

"And this," he said with derision, "is the Tyler low born that insulted my daughter."

Rose sighed and tried not to roll her eyes thinking mentally,  _ here we go again. _

Jack stood, shoulder’s back metamorphosing from relaxed day in town to intense and imposing.

"Francois, you know very well how such provocative and insulting comments could lead to unpleasantness. Is that what you want?" he asked in an icy tone.  Adeleine Poisson sashayed forward.

"Mind your tongue, Guardsman. A Poisson does not deal with one of your questionable heritage. Your position was gained solely through luck and the good will and benevolent favour of the Alpha. You hardly have the right to speak to us," she said in a haughty biting manner. She then turned to Rose and took a step forward.

"Be that as it may, Mrs. Poisson, you would be advised to tread carefully. Jeanne initiated a challenge, Rose accepted and defeated her according to the laws and code of honour of our pack. A challenge, I might point out, that was in contradiction to the Alpha's command that Rose be welcomed at a party hosted by him at his home.

“If you continue this attempt at intimidation and disrespect of Rose over the outcome of that challenge, you risk further dishonour to your family," Jack advised, a hard glint in his blue eyes.

It was then, that Rose tensed every muscle in preparation.  Not as she had with Jeanne. That had been fight or flight in the midst of anger and resentment.  This was more standing at the ready, prior days wounds aching as more shite was about to hit the fan.

"Dishonour!" Adeleine spit out, her pale face flushed in her anger. "Dishonour is allowing this little low born, strumpet to breathe the same as us. She has no honour and no place here! I demand…"

As Adeleine Poisson was working up into a tirade, three women and two men walked in and stood behind Rose. Adeleine stuttered to a stop as she took them in, her eyes narrowing in fury.

"This does not concern you!"

Rose could barely breathe watching this drama unfold.  A sneaky suspicion prickled up her spine at the new arrivals.  Especially, the older blonde woman with streaks of grey in her hair, stepped forward.

"That's where you're wrong. Anything involving Rose Tyler concerns us." She spoke in a familiar accent.  As Rose took her in, jeans topped with white jumper and leather coat, the woman smiled at her. 

No doubts and the resemblance was astounding. Rose stood next to family.  By the lines etched along blue eyes, an older generation of the Prentice. 

"Rose is not just here for the Alpha and under his protection. She’s here so that our family may be made whole again. The Prentice family stands behind Rose, my granddaughter.”

“She is outcast, an abomination to this pack!”

“You would say that. We know what happened at the Alpha's home and how your daughter purposefully sought out my granddaughter to initiate a challenge for dominance despite the Alpha's mandate and clearly attempted take advantage of my granddaughter's lack of knowledge of our people, challenge customs and pack law.

“Jeanne should have known better. Rose is a Prentice and our family doesn’t turn away from a fight…ever," the Prentice Matriarch said with an ominous threat which seemed to be backed up by the family members behind her. 

For the second time that day, Rose felt warmth settle in her chest and a solid sense of belonging.  Adeleine Poisson looked ready to spit fire which almost made it even better for Rose. 

"I will not be intimidated by you, you…"

"Adeleine!" her husband said firmly and with a clear intent of putting a stop to the confrontation that was bubbling close to an all-out battle.

Rose didn’t think he could based on how the she-wolf Adeleine, drew back her lips, baring her teeth, an unholy growl just breaking the surface.

He walked up and took his wife by the arm. She whipped her arm away and was about to slap him when it seemed she remembered where she was and stopped. Breathing heavily, she smoothed her hair and eventually calmed herself.

That’s when Rose realized her mistake.  Jeanne wasn’t queen bitch of the pack. Her mother was.  She felt sorry for Mr. Poisson although he didn’t look surprised at the almost attack.

Francois Poisson was accustomed to respect and being in control. He knew his daughter had made an egregious error, allowed her emotions to override her judgment. His plan had been to intimidate the Tyler girl and regain some of the honour his daughter had lost.

As he watched Rose and his wife spewed forth her resentment, Rose didn't flinch. In fact, she'd stared not just at his wife but at him only, it was more than that. There was something in her eyes that bothered him.

A few of his kind still harboured the genes of the old days, back when the inner wolf howled through their blood. This girl had that look, a lack of fear and inner strength to do what she must. This was not someone who could be intimidated and could be dangerous to cross.

As much as he loved his daughter and wanted to defend her, he had to think of his family's survival and what was best for everyone and right now, he didn't want to cross this girl, the chosen of their Alpha. In fact, he didn't even want to be in the same room as her.

"I believe that everyone has made their point," Francois finished saying to his wife and then looked pointedly at Rose who stood with her arms crossed next to her grandmother.

Adeleine looked from her husband to Rose and then she too saw what her husband had seen. She tried to stare Rose down but Rose just arched a brow at her as if waiting for the older woman to challenge her.

Tension vibrated in the room.  Rose should be scared but a new confidence blossomed.  Even faced with an older more experienced adversary, Rose sank into a secure unflinching place.  She wasn’t alone. Let the bitch come at her.

Francois Poisson tugged at his wife, shaking her out of the stare down which ended in her defeat. She sniffed and tilted her head up.

"Come Francois, let us depart to more civilized and cultured company." The two then stormed out followed by their entourage who looked back once or twice in confusion or perhaps it was awe.

Jack smiled broadly and looked toward the Prentice Matriarch.

"Suzette, your timing is impeccable as always," he said and bowed to kiss her hand.  Suzette Prentice’s relaxed smile crinkled the corners of her eyes exuding warmth.

"And you Jack Harkness, are as charming as always. Thank you for looking out for our Rose."  Suzette then turned to Rose.

"I'm sorry for the dramatic entrance, but we heard that the Poissons left the Alpha still in a mood and were on their way to try and coerce you into leaving or worse.  It was necessary to intervene and make an impression. I would have much rather we had met in private at home." She stood back and looked at Rose.

"I see so much of my daughter in you and a bit of your father as well. I'm sure your parents have told you why they left."

"Yeah, they did," Rose finally said, feeling a bit overwhelmed by this experience but unwilling to let the past be forgotten.

"That was a long time ago and much has happened in our family since then. I would like very much for us to be a family again and perhaps we can through you."

Uncertainty twisted in her gut.  An image of her mother’s unflinching expression when she spoke of her family burned deep in Rose’s memory.  But then she thought of Tony and the lie of his life. Things needed to change.

"Maybe we can. But I have questions and I need straight answers."  Suzette nodded, and eyed Jack.

“I’m on board with whatever Rose wants.”  Rose released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d sucked in.  Having someone on her side instead of ordering her around or unleashing deep, dark secrets was a nice change.

“I owe you that,” Suzette agreed.  “And much more.”

“Like why you weren’t at the Alpha’s party last night.” Rose didn’t let up. Maybe it was too far and too forward but she’d endured too much to play nice.

“We wanted to talk in private.  Not put on a show. Not like you were forced into.  If I’d had any idea her royal highness of airs and graces had planned, every Prentice would have been there.”

Rose wasn’t sure if she meant to defend Rose or cheer her on.  This was so demented. A family of werewolves. All torn asunder over illicit affairs, forbidden romances and young lovers run off to have their own lives.  Through it all Rose felt an intangible pull of family.

Maybe they could overcome cultural differences and this pack mentality to bring their family back together.  Also, she was rather impressed by how her gran had just stood up to the arrogant Poisson woman. Yeah, Rose wanted to know more about her.

“Fair enough.  Just know, my mum, dad and brother come first.”

“Just like your mother.  Fierce and protective,” Suzette said with relish.  “I’ll never ask you to choose any of us over them. This is about making things right.”

Rose was introduced to the rest of the family that was there, her Aunts Liz and Mo, Cousin Eric and Uncle Mike.

They ended up agreeing it would be best to move the family reunion to the Prentice house.  Rose paused next to Jack on the way out.

“Thanks, Harriet and sorry about all the rowing.  Maybe we can try again later?”

“I’d like that.  We’re so much more than the conflicts you’ve been exposed to. It’s a burden our society is judged by those who shout the loudest or draw first blood.”

Draw first blood.  Rose tugged nervously at her right gold hoop earring.  Yeah Gallifrey wasn’t weird at all. When she turned back to Jack, he was talking on his mobile and thrust the phone at her.

“This isn’t what I planned.” The Doctor's voice had a slight tired quality.

“Yeah, me either.  So, are you meeting with me and the Prentices then?”  She stepped away from Jack and Harriet, chatting quietly. 

“No, I think you need time alone with them.”

“I need to set things straight with you.” Her temper flashed.  Rose tried to get a grip but ever since she arrived in Gallifrey, around this pack, she was a roller coaster of ups and downs.

“I look forward to that.” Damned if he didn’t have this strange vocal ability to seduce with rough or lilting tones in his voice that made her knickers melt.   “Meeting with the Prentices is important. You need to settle the past for you and your brother. You can’t move forward until you understand where you come from.”

“I know where I come from,” Rose asserted although not with as much conviction as she wanted.

“You know who Rose Tyler is,” the Doctor assured. “But you don’t know the whole story of where you come from. Your parents kept that from you.  It’s one of the reasons you’re here. For the truth. I won’t get in the way. Even if it means I have to wait for you.”

Wait for her.  When had anyone suggest she was worth waiting for?  She shifted her feet and nervously twisted a braid around her finger. This Doctor was good. He knew all the buttons to push. And he wasn’t wrong.

“I suppose,” she admitted with hesitation. “But if it goes badly—”

“It won’t.” His voice reflected certainty.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m the Alpha.” The smugness nearly made her gag.

“I’m way past that wolf nonsense.  Try again.” He chuckled in a way that tickled up her spine.  How did one wolf man get under her skin like that?

“All right, how about because I’ve been in your dreams. I’ve seen you face your nightmares or run through the forest led by an intelligent curiosity. Despite living in the human world, facing adversity, having our world thrust at you, you remain Rose Tyler, strong and fierce. I’m impressed and want you to have all your questions answered.”

“Does that include you answering my questions? All of them?”

“Come home to me tonight. And I promise raw, naked honesty.” His rough voice purred innuendo.

“I bet you do.” Rose giggled and swayed with the phone. Despite vague dream memories, each physical encounter with him left her with a strong connection like she’d known him for years. 

“All right, this afternoon with the family and I’ll be back tonight expecting some answers and real discussion.”

She disconnected the call and smiled at the phone with an odd desire to kiss it and the man on the other end. She licked her lips and spun on her heel. Yeah, she had to spend some time with estranged family. But the evening looked promising.

Phone in hand, she walked over to Jack and shoved it at his chest.

“Looks like I’m spending the afternoon with the Prentices.  All Alpha approved.”

“Then it’s settled.  Let’s get you home and we’ll talk over lunch,” Suzette said, wrapping an arm around Rose’s shoulders.  Weirdly, Rose didn’t feel uncomfortable. 

“Jack?” she asked.

“I’ve got a few things to deal with.  You go on and have fun. I’ll pick you up later.”  Rose hesitated, not liking how Jack glanced around and then at his mobile.  Nothing here could ever be simple. With a resigned sigh, she left with the Prentice family, back on edge waiting for the next catastrophe to strike.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 4 got too long so I had to split it which means the fic is a little bit longer :)

Rose settled uneasily into the Prentice House, a large mountain home, smaller than the Doctor’s two-story lodge, but built of the same roughly hewn logs and stone.

Inside, before a roaring living room fire, the bustle of family enveloped her.  She was introduced to the rest of the family including loads of cousins she never knew existed.

Hours later, after meals, Gallifreyan whiskey, laughter and the warmth of a large family gathering, Rose’s tension eased.  Her aunts reminded her so much of her mother, fiery, shouting after children but never in anger. And fiercely protective. Something Rose knew all too well. 

Settling on the sofa next to her nan, they paged through scrapbooks of her mother as a young girl. So many stories of her mum and her siblings finding trouble.  Not too far from Rose and Tony conspiring together to plead for more internet bandwidth. 

All in all, a normal family in a not so normal town.  Turning a page, her fingers tracing over a picture of her mother barely out of high school She was reminded how and why her mum left.  Forbidden love and new life that now caused Rose to be there and fix the whole mess.

“I’m sorry,” Nan tucked a piece of hair behind Rose’s ear.  “I mean that with every fibre of my being.” Rose closed the scrapbook and shifted uneasily in her seat.  How did one deal with repentant family?

“You need to tell my parents that.”

“Yes, I do.  But you’re here and I need to say it to you and one day your brother.  I missed so much, watching you two grow up. Missed giving you this heritage.” She waved around the great room, tall ceilings lined with wooden beams and family pictures covering the walls and every table.

“It’s still weird to me.  Sorry if that upsets you but it’s so normal yet not.” Rose bit her lip, gaze making the visual tour before landing on her Nan, long knit cardigan wrapped around her lithe frame.  For the first time, Rose saw not the strong matriarch but an aged woman, lines of regret etched around brown eyes that bore pain.

“I let old, stodgy tradition get in the way,” Nan confessed.  “It’s easy to do here when you’re focused on clawing your way to the top and keeping the family honour intact.” A heavy sigh escaped and her shoulders caved in slightly.  “It wasn’t right. I wasn’t right. Look at how much we’ve lost.”

Rose nodded, her hands curled in her lap, instincts pounding to comfort even as logic and loyalty to her family held her back.

“But you’re here now,” Nan stated affirmatively and covered Rose’s hands with hers.  “You’re what we all need, a reminder we can appreciate heritage but we’ve got to grow and change.  The Alpha’s always saying that. Bridging worlds and all that stuff about evolving and being better than we are.”

“I’m not sure how I can help with that.”  Rose did wonder though. She could see similarities and differences.  It seemed natural for her compare, looking for…she wasn’t sure. A place where she fit?  Odd, that wasn’t why she was there. An image of the Doctor, lean form embracing her, and nuzzling her neck imprinted until her pulse raced and confusion reigned.

“You’ve already brought change and inspired people,” Nan insisted and stood up.  “Jack will be here soon to take you back to our impatient Alpha. If I know the Doctor, he’s climbing the walls, taking apart the electronics and driving his staff barmy.  He’s big on technology and moving us forward. He’ll probably show off. Alpha’s are like that.”

The thought of the dark, sexy alpha tinkering tickled Rose.  And intrigued her. She walked with her Nan to get her coat and walk outside into the cool, damp night thinking about how impressive this Alpha was or wasn’t.

"I'm so glad you're here."  Nan pulled her into a hug and Rose accepted it without question, enjoying the sense of belonging melting into her.

"Yeah, so am I." The admission shocked Rose a little as did the instantaneous feelings.  Was this a betrayal of her family? Her instincts leaned toward a resounding no. Sort of like her impulses to touch and flirt with the Doctor.  Now that was a whole different simmering pot of tea.

“Nan, about the Doctor--” She sucked her bottom lip wondering how to ask about this Alpha.

Her Nan smiled knowingly at her.

"I know our ways seem strange to you but they have served us for generations. I admit I was surprised when the Alpha made a formal announcement of his claiming, and that he was invoking his rights to you. He's a good man, the Doctor, and a great Alpha. He cares for all his people."

"Yeah, sounds like a decent bloke but…a bit pushy. I mean sending people out to fetch me like I'm a sack of goods isn't very impressive and paying me a visit in my dreams is sort of invasive."

Her Nan chuckled and a sly smile lit her face.

"In your dreams, is he. Hmmm, that's interesting but then he's an Alpha. They aren't known for patience or waiting around for what they want. They tend to be intelligent, persuasive, charismatic and quite the intoxicating creature. It can be a heady experience being near him."

Rose thought back to his house and how she felt with him so close. She blushed.

"Uh yeah, it um can."

Her grandmother wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her out to Jack's SUV just rolling up to the house.

"You know, it's all right to want him as much as he wants you."

Rose was gobsmacked at that. Getting advice on the Alpha who wanted to possess you and was giving you hot dreams wasn't something you talked about with your Nan, at least she was pretty sure it wasn't.

Her Nan patted her shoulder, her aged brown eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"I know you think I'm old and just part of the pack but the truth is I want you happy and you deserve to be happy. Don't let outside morals keep you from that happiness. This is Gallifrey. We trust our instincts here. You must learn to trust yours even if it's something contrary to what you know in the outside world.

“An Alpha has chosen you and tomorrow is a full moon."

Rose paused cocking her head at Nan.  What the hell did that mean? Nan laughed and leaned into her ear.

"Don't be afraid and enjoy yourself. I know I did when your grandfather and I went to the woods on our first full moon." She winked at Rose and wished her good night.

“Have a nice time?” Jack asked, easily navigating them down the long dirt driveway.

“Yeah.” Rose didn’t feel up to talking.  So much has happened and her emotions remained in a state of chaos.  She rode in silence back to the house feeling confused and a little nervous. She also swore she heard a masculine voice in her head whispering to her in that way that made her toes curl.

Eyes fluttering shut, Jack’s phone let loose a shrieking alarm.

“Sorry.”  He tapped the phone cradled in a holder on his dash.  “I really hate to do this to you,” he sighed.

Rose squinted a picture of a blonde boy about her brother’s age.

“What is it?”

“Missing kid.  Everyone’s heading to the Latimer property.”

“That means the Doctor, I guess.” She thumped her head back against the seat.  Another delay. 

“Sorry.  I’ll drop you off at the house.”  Rose tried not to be petulant and resentful.  A kid was lost in the woods. If it were Tony, she’d want all the help she could get.  But impatience mixed with all the secret Alpha nonsense left her on edge. She needed to confront him.  Any yearning to touch or, give him a good shove or lick, was firmly disregarded.

Until they pulled up the drive and the Alpha himself opened her door.

“I have to delay our talk.”

“You mean raw naked honesty,” she quipped, exiting the car, ignoring how his hand lingered on her arm sliding to the small of her back.

“Oh, you’ll have that…just slightly later.” Heat flushed from head to toe at the slight growl in his promise. 

“Is the kid in danger?  I mean these are your woods.  Aren’t they supposed to be safe for your kind?” Distract was a good defence to the slight hint of clean, woodsy alpha wolf.

“Children.  He snuck out after dinner with two friends.  His parents lost the trail at the edge of their property.  There were bear tracks nearby and caves which might lead to a bit more danger than a stroll in the woods.”

“Sorry,” Rose walked beside him, hips brushing casually, his arm around her like they fit.  “I’d have thought wolf people could track pretty easily.”

“Our people do.  But the terrain is rocky and the scent’s not clear.”  He looked up at the starless sky. “A storms’ coming.”

Rose shivered at the words.  Thunder rumbled inside of her as they stopped, body to body at his front door.

“I’m sorry, Moonflower.  I wanted to spend the evening with you.”  Her blood sang with a yearning and dirty entender at those words. 

“Look, Doctor, we need to get some things straight.  I’m not a sack of goods you can cart around and declare ownership of and then toss aside.”  In the dim light a bright grin stretched across his face.

“No, you’re Rose Tyler.”  He squeezed her upper arms.  “Brilliant, strong and I rather enjoy watching you shake things up.  Bit boring, stodgy even before you got here. You’re like a strong cuppa, all those free radicals and tannins sparking our synapses and reminding us who we are.”

“I’m what?”  He rocked back on his heels gleefully.  Mad he was, utterly mad, and now she understood what her Nan said.  Sort of. Madness aside, something else simmered in this Alpha, power…a heaviness and heat that called out to her.  Howled she supposed was the right word in Gallifrey.

“Rose.” God the way he said her name, slight velvet growl and drawn out vowels made her toes curl.

“We need to settle things.  Between you and me and our pack.  Tomorrow I’m yours.” And her panties set on fire.  Even more so when he lifted her hand, brushed his lips across her knuckles with a slight nip.

“Rory and Amy will get you anything you need.  They owe you for not keeping you safe last night.   I’ll see you in the morning.” He released her hand and without thinking she curled her fingers into his leather lapels.

“No more delays or new family outings.  I need to get back to my parents and my mobile doesn’t seem to work here.”

He leaned into her, a quirk settling in the corner of his mouth at how she held onto him, firm, almost controlling but she felt compelled to do so.  Make a point.

“Your parents know you’re with me.  Under my protection.” His breath ghosted across her cheek as his nose brushed intimately against hers.

“Yeah, they know I ended up in a fight with the family enemy?” Rose’s heart thrummed with intensity, of his proximity sparking against her skin until she licked her lips.

“No need to get into the gritty details.  You and I can work all that out without further distraction.” God Rose wanted details. She turned her head lips brushing against his even as Jake shouted commands a few feet away. 

Liquid warmth filled her belly at skin on skin contact with a slight brush of his tongue against hers.  The taste fired up yearning for more. Maybe too much more. Reluctantly, Rose gave him a shove back, heart slamming and blood on fire.

Not the sort of show she wanted to put on for his people. A shaky inhale of chilled night air cooled her heated thoughts.  She cleared her throat even as he stared at her mouth, so still and intense she still might combust.

“Good luck with the kids.” That sounded normal and not raspy, I need to have my tongue in your mouth voice.  “I’ll see you in the morning.” Unless she saw him in her dreams.

“Sleep well…Moonflower.” He stepped back into the shadows as Rose darted into the house, collapsing back against the closed door.

Yeah, she’d sleep well tonight.  Not. Then again, a little run in the woods with the Doctor wouldn’t be such a bad thing.  Work out her frustrations. Not naked. She affirmed mentally even as evil Rose popped on her shoulder and pouted.

Dwdwdwdwdwddwdwddwd

Being Alpha required strength, patience, cunning, an ability to resolve conflicts, know how far to push members of the pack and assessing who was plotting against you.  It also required an uncanny ability to know when not to ravish your mate-to-be when she wasn’t entirely ready. Even when she gave you hot looks.

Unbearably tight jeans and an erection begging for him to turn around and ravish one she-wolf on the brink of her own lust lingered.  But an Alpha had duties and problems to solve. Lost children. Bad timing. And a growl stuck in his throat as he tried to remember they were just kids.

This raging lust ticking away at his patience was why Alphas rarely took on the challenges of ruling a pack alone. A mated pair shared burdens, took the edge off frustrations and were necessary for politics and pack harmony. As well as the Alpha’s sanity when faced with an unrelenting hardness in his trousers. 

The Doctor hadn’t worried about mating when he ascended to Alpha.  Then again, fighting to be a leader hadn’t been his game plan either.  Duty to his pack, and a horrific vision of death and destruction pushed him to rush into the fray of leadership to make the pack better, safer and keep them evolving.

The vision of destruction haunted him this night as he left Rose behind.  Each delay between him and Rose edged them closer to a hovering danger. But the children took priority.  And whatever darkness lurked might be rethinking things after his Rose proved herself more than capable of kicking arse.  His blood pounded at how she defeated Jeanne.

Never one for blood lust, watching Rose dominate changed him.  He saw in her, a bit of his own inner rebel, one who didn’t choose to fight as a first option.  She’d bided her time, giving her opponent the chance to back away. Like a predator. 

They arrived at the edge of the Latimer property and fanned out.  He led the lead group, inhaling deeply, settling into his senses, seeking out heat, scent, the frightened pulses of young boys.  The intangible second sense he kept buried deep inside, left him certain they’d find the children.

With an ease he didn’t always feel, he pushed into the woods, toward the rocky slopes with its many caverns enticing to curious children.

He’d been one of them once. Born into a family that was above others but still not part of the higher echelon of pack standing. His birth was not welcomed by his father’s family due to his parents' unusual marriage. His mother was considered lower in standing with a second sense that most in the pack treated with disdain. Thus, his compassion for Rose’s parents.

Unlike Rose, childhood for him was a series of battles, both physical and mental. It taught him to be quick, smart and how to talk his way out of things. There was more though. His birth had coincided with the full moon and not just any full moon, a blood moon. Some in the pack had considered this symbolic, that he was different and perhaps even cursed.

And wasn’t he, a snide inner voice often roared in his head. His ability to see into the future and possible outcomes, the way he saw Rose’s potential, often left him an outcast.  Seeing her as a shining beacon of hope was like the day, he saw a future path for the pack that led to their destruction. He vowed then to embrace his gift, use it for the betterment of the pack. It was the day he chose to become the Doctor.

And now it directed him to a crevice.  Sliding down dirt and gravel mixed with the ammonia scent of bat guano, he caught the sound of young voices.  Not this cave. But near.

“Jack.”  He crawled out.  “Get torches in all these caves.  They’re here. Careful about the echoes.  We don’t want them to move or cause any cave ins.”

His people scrambled at his command.  Nothing like things used to be when he and Jack were merely insurgents, rebelling against a vindictive, prejudiced Alpha. That Alpha lorded his position over everyone, torturing those who didn’t conform to his and his allies’ ways.

It spurred the Doctor and his friends to make a pact with Pete and Jackie.  The couple had information the insurgents needed, and which his rebel friends accepted with gratitude.  But for him, he’d more been struck by possible futures for Jackie's unborn child, a daughter.

Something about her essence shined brightly into the future, one where most of them lived. When the time came to cut a deal, information for their exit, he didn't think, just asked for the unborn child who would become someone fierce, someone he needed in his life.

Jack had looked at him askance and he couldn’t blame him.  It was just plain not Doctor-like. He wasn’t one to demand servitude or obedience and bowing down and all that lot, like others in the pack.  He still didn’t want it. 

He had been ruthless after the couple fled. Thoughts of their child reinvigorated him in a new way. Battles were fought, some opponents injured, others killed. He wasn't proud of some of the things he'd done even though he felt them necessary. It earned him a reputation and respect among the higher levels of the pack.

Even that night, as the lost children were rescued, parents clinging tearfully to them, a happy ending, the Doctor still accepted, his leadership, his successes all came with a price.  Past actions sat heavily on his shoulders and would burden him the rest of his life. Still, it was worth it to keep the pack safe and prosperous.

He went home with another victory.  Sleep didn’t come, not with so much unsettled.  With Rose and the coming conflict with the Poissons and their allies.  He needed a day with Rose, to woo her and soothe his own primal needs. 

Her scent, floral and vanilla filled his home.  His body reacted the moment he bounded up the stairs.  On edge, every muscle tight and ready to break, he dived into a cold shower.

As tempting as a quickie seduction was…not until she was ready.  And the full moon beckoned them. The thought of sex under the full moon made him spurt off in the shower like randy teen.  Fuck but the mating dance would kill him. Killed by lust. Sounded better than a challenge for Alpha.

His hormones raged in a torrent of thoughts about the kiss she wanted that night. He could always slip into her room, with dew covered roses, trailing them over her bare skin until she shivered for his touch.  It wasn’t like he hadn’t smelled her lust the moment he entered the house. 

In her dreams she already beckoned him.  But he wanted more than a dream shag. And she deserved so much more than seduction in a house with carpets, doors and windows.

They were creatures of the land, free spirited and needed to feel the turn of the Earth beneath their feet, the pulse of the universe in their veins and they needed to run. During the full moon, she would run and he would chase her. He almost groaned at the thought of the moonlight on her bare skin as he captured her, how she would try and dominate him but in the end yield to his promise of pleasure, love and forever.

Dripping from his shower, he collapsed nude onto his bed focusing on calming breaths. He focused on logic. Everything was coming together as he wanted. Rose had arrived in Gallifrey, proven her strength to the pack even if it was in a way that he still wasn't pleased about. In fact, it still raised a fury in him at the thought of Jeanne's actions. And then how the Poissons dared approach Rose afterward attempting some power play in direct disobedience of his orders and in violation of their own laws governing challenges made and won.

His moonflower had stood strong and once again proved that she was a force to be reckoned with. The only good that came out of it was that she gained respect and admiration in the community and cemented her place in her family.

The Prentices may not be as high up as the Poissons but they held high regard in the pack. Rose was just as much a Prentice as she was a Tyler and now, she was beginning to see that, feel her roots. It built her confidence as she showed that night, practically snogging him.

Yes, everything came together.  His eyes fluttered shut even as he vibrated with energy and anticipation of their time together. As he drifted to sleep, his thoughts remained on Rose.  Each thud of his heart bound him to her. Tendrils of her dream world tugged at his consciousness.

His flower who bloomed in the moonlight.  Curling around his tongue was her essence, the instincts and drive pushing them to mate, choose a suitable partner to spend their lives life with. Nothing would keep them apart or from that final claim bounding to each other forever. They were wolves after all, they mated for life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I got a little stuck. I edited a couple of earlier chapters that had oopsies in them. hope it saved. I've had issues with fixing and looking online only to find nothing I fixed or someone else fixed got saved. Some days technology is not my friend.
> 
> One more chapter to go and I'm trying to get that up in the next few days. Thanks for your patience and for reading.

Rose awakened and stretched after another night of dreams.

This time, all her dreams were pleasant. Almost toe curling good with woods and hide and seek Decker games followed by lying on the grass gazing up at the stars.  And if he nuzzled her or nipped at her neck while giving her an astronomy lesson, who was she to complain. It was just a dream. No promises. No commitments. No answers either.

Catching sight of her non-working cell sitting forlornly on the side table reminded her of the task ahead.  Sliding out of bed, the sun streaming in the windows, Rose pondered her wardrobe. What did she wear to set the Doctor straight on this whole claiming thing?  Based on his reaction last night, something that revealed a hint of her assets. 

She settled on a pink floral sundress with a light white cardigan and matching sandals. Rose smirked a little as ran a brush through her hair. The big bad Alpha may think he was meeting with some insecure girl he could push around and invade her dreams like some Don Juan of the wolf world, but he was going to learn that she wouldn't just bat her eyelashes and yield to him.

After she finished applying her make-up and twirling a bit before the mirror, feeling good and strong about how she looked and what this day would bring, she bounced down the stairs pony tail swinging as she headed straight for the kitchen and coffee.

"Morning, Jack!  Everything okay with the missing kids?"

"Good morning, gorgeous. And yes, the kids were found, a little cold and dirty and now grounded."

"Sounds like home." She sipped her coffee and nibbled on a scone. "So, where’s himself? Or do we have more pissy wolves that wanna have a go at me?"  She couldn’t resist poking at Jack given her host was absent.

"Let’s not put that out in the universe.”  He said, mouth half full of jam laden scone.  “And I wouldn't worry about any challenges for a while and if any come about, we'll get you better prepared and protected." Rose choked on her coffee.

"Seriously? I was just teasing. There'll be more like Prissy Poisson? I mean, I'm not even here for that long."

"How do you know that? Maybe you'll stay longer than you think. Suzette adores you and so do the rest of the Prentices. They want you to stay. Why so negative, Rose?" Rose looked away focused on the cranberry orange scone.

"I dunno," she said, swirling her coffee whilst she ate. "Maybe it still doesn't feel real." She looked over at him leaning against the counter waiting for to continue.

"I loved spending time with Nan and the family. It felt so normal and right and…well home."

"And that's a problem?" Jack asked.

A wave of heavy melancholy settled over her. "No, it's just…"

"You feel like you're betraying your parents," the Doctor finished, prowling silently into the room heading for the plate of scones. 

Rose swallowed hard at the whiff of clean-shaven Doctor.  Why did he have to carry that woodsy linen scent that drew her to him.  Or was it that leather coat and how she wanted to drag it off his shoulders and then…she swallowed more coffee. 

"I hope you had pleasant dreams, Moonflower," he said softly, wrapping his tongue around  _ moonflower _ and his eyes taking her in from sandaled feet to her hair bound in a pony tail. As if he didn’t know how nice a dream she had.

Dressed in a similar outfit to the prior night, jeans, trainers, a long black coat over a dark blue Henley, he seemed oblivious to the flush rushing from her head to her toes. Instead, the Doctor slathered a scone with gobs of strawberry jam. Rose’s jaw dropped as he bit into the pastry, a bit of jam dribbling down his chin. 

“Morning, Boss,” Jack held up his mug in a salute.

Eyes glued on his tongue and a finger swiping jam which he sucked off said finger, Rose gripped her mug to stop herself from doing anything Doctor related with said hands.  God she was in trouble if she lost so much control just by watching him eat.

"Rose, I know you think no one understands what it’s like to feel out of place but also at home.  To try and figure out where you fit,” the Doctor added. “But we do. We’re all figuring it out every day.  And you do fit. You’re not betraying your parents. You're bringing your family together. We all want you to be happy, especially your parents."

He had to toss that out there, throw her off her game plan of setting down the law of who controls who’s future.  Rose shored up her resolve. Time to get things back on track.

"Speaking about my parents, we’re talking about my future today, right?" She didn’t just ask, she affirmed.

"Eventually.”  He bit into his scone again, sucking up jam, his gaze pinned on her.  Damned distracting. Jam, Alpha, tongue and Rose just needed…more coffee.  One sip of black silky confidence and she forged ahead.

“Eventually being what?”  He grinned and sucked another finger.

“I think the Doctor scheduled one on one time with you later this afternoon,” Jack quickly added probably sensing her irritation when she banged her mug on the granite counter.

“Why this afternoon? Another wolf emergency?”

In a blink, the Doctor silently appeared at her side, catching her elbow as she jumped. 

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” he asked, oozing a sense of languid sex appeal. 

“That sneaky wolf thing.” Her voice deepened as she nearly melted from the way his warm fingers drew down her arm.

“That was solicitous.  Sneaky would be more like skulking in the woods, hunting.” He brushed his nose against her temple, proximity setting off all the alarms.  Rose needed space and to get back in control.

“Why this afternoon and not now? I want to get things settled about my future and when I can leave.”

“Alpha or town mayor or CEO, we all have our morning schedules, people who need their leader’s guidance or you know, emails to answer and disputes to settle.  We’ll meet later and I promise, dinner, information, talking and me all yours. Any wolf emergencies can wait until after…. dessert.”

Fuck but he was the master of innuendo.  Rose refused to back down. 

“No more delays.” 

“Told you she was tenacious,” Jack called out the bang of his mug hitting the sink like a gun shot announcing the start of a race.  One Rose intended to win.

“Of course not.  Now, Moonflower, if you will excuse me, I have the hordes of petitioners come to lay their troubles on my doorstep expecting me to solve them." He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, his thumb caressing the sensitive skin over her pulse point and brushed her knuckles with his lips, his tongue darting out ever so slightly to taste her.

Rose felt her breath catch as he backed away toward the living room. To any casual human visitor, he looked like a normal bloke.  But to Rose, a subtle energy pulsed between them, like she could hear the steady rhythm of his heart. Heat shot straight through her just being around him and when he touched her…it was like a circuit completed and she felt a tingling sensation.

She wondered if it had to do with the pack. As he turned to leave, she snapped out of her haze

"Wait!" she said with more inflection than she intended. He paused and arched a brow at her.

"Why Moonflower? I mean why do you call me that?"

A warm sexy smile spread across his face and his brown eyes darkened as she felt his gaze on her like a caress.

"Because you are the rose that basks in the moon, a flower that shines like moonlight."

Floating on a soft cloud of the most romantic thing anyone said to her, Rose blinked as the Doctor slipped out of the room. Jack snapped his fingers a few times after calling her name and she looked at him blankly.

"Is it always like that?"

"Like what?" Jack asked with a slight knowing smile.  Rose looked toward the door where the Doctor had exited.

"He feels so…mesmerizing, I guess is the word but he's normal too."

"He's an Alpha," Jack answered with a shrug and Rose shot him an annoyed look. "Come on, Moonflower, let's get on with our day. Amy and Rory want to meet up and take you around."

Rose pushed off the counter mimicking him. " _ He's an Alpha _ like that says everything," she said sarcastically.

The rest of her day was spent out and about in Gallifrey. Amy was much friendlier to her although still possessive of Rory, not that Rory minded. They introduced her to people closer her own age including her cousin, Clara, who was one of the few connections she had to her father's family.

Clara was fun, quick to smile and tease with a penchant for babbling. She and Rose got along right away. The four of them went shopping, had lunch with her Nan and family and then went for a drive to some waterfalls that were popular with the younger crowd.

All too soon, the time came when Jack pulled her aside for her meeting with the Doctor. A nervous anticipation buzzed in her veins. After their morning meeting, she had come to the conclusion that perhaps he wasn't the overbearing git she thought he might be. Or maybe that was lust clouding her logic.

Still, she had to have words with him about this dream wandering. The closer they got to the house, the more she lost her righteous indignation and confidence about confronting him. Jack walked her into the foyer and stopped. Rose looked at him nervously and he smiled softly.

"Don't be nervous."

"I'm not," Rose retorted and then fidgeted. "It's just this Doctor seems to have say over my future and so much has happened here with being attacked and meeting Nan…"  Jack grasped her hand and squeezed it gently in support.

"He's the Alpha and he wants what's best for the entire pack, even you. Give him a chance. I promise you he's not so bad. He's done a lot for people around here including me. Even when others wouldn't look at me and he was above me in pack hierarchy, he was still my friend."

"But he wants things from me or I think he does…and I don't or, that is I don't even know him," she said nervously now finally facing the moment that she had to talk to this Alpha who her father had promised her to.

"Rose, you still have free will. No one will make you do something you don't want to do." He paused, looking at her. "Maybe this isn't so much about fear of what he will do but of how you feel and what you want. You shouldn't be afraid of wanting or needing to be here or with others of your kind. It's all right. Trust your instincts." He let go of her hand backed away.

"Go on, Rose, he's waiting for you."

Rose took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Jack was right. She needed to trust herself. Alpha was just a title. He was still just a bloke. A powerful bloke who lead a pack of wolf people, but just a bloke. "Right," she said softly and walked into the house.

He met her on the stairs leaning casually against the railing, his hands in his pockets and his eyes focused on her before he straightened and held a hand out, wiggling his fingers in encouragement.

Rose paused for a moment, just looking at him from trainer clad feet, to jeans to the hair peeking through the unbuttoned collar of his Henley to his soft smile, penetrating brown eyes and spiked chestnut hair. She decided maybe he was dangerous, but not to her. Rose walked over and accepted his warm hand, his fingers lacing intimately with hers.

"At last we get to spend some time together. I'm sorry it's taken this long." His thumb caressed the top of her hand as he began walking them out toward a massive living room that overlooked the deck. "Did you enjoy your day today?"

"Yeah, Amy and Rory took me around and we stopped at some waterfalls in town. They were beautiful."

"Good. I'll have to show some others that are less accessible, cascading over rockfalls for hundreds of feet.  Stunning rainbows in the afternoon light."

"Look, about me staying…" Rose forged ahead or tried to.

"I'd like that Rose, for you to stay," he said and paused at the doors leading to the deck.

"Maybe you would but I think that's up to me. I mean, I know you made some type of arrangement with my Dad before I was born but I don't see how I have to just accept that without say. I mean what kind of bloke asks for a girl before she's even borne? How old are you anyway?" she asked, gaining more confidence.

"Is age important?" he asked with an arched brow.

"Yeah, maybe it is," she answered, tilting her chin up in a challenge that was prickling his senses.

"All right, I'm fifty-four."

"Fifty-four! My Dad is only forty-seven! You only look maybe thirty-five!"

"I…I do not!" he retorted and touched his hair protectively.

She burst out laughing. "God, what an age difference! And you want me? What am I some trophy or something?" His face darkened.

"You are no one's trophy."

"Yeah, then what am I then?" she demanded again with a defiant attitude that taunted him, heightened his desire to show her exactly what she was to him.

"You are my Moonflower," he answered, calming and smiling seductively at her. "You don't need to be anything else. Although, the Prentices may disagree with me."

"Well they don’t own me either.” Her strong declaration cemented his desire.  She was just what he and this pack needed.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Rose continued as they stepped outside. “I like Nan. It’s nice to have more family. And she's pretty brave. She stood up to those awful Poissons."  The mere mention of that family name, caused the protective, wild wolf inside him to stir.

"The Poissons will not bother you again. Their behaviour was an embarrassment to their family and to all of us who uphold pack law. You have more than earned the respect of the pack. Suzette Prentice saw that although…" he paused and smiled again. "Even if you hadn’t, she'd have been there defending you. There's an old pack saying: Never cross a Prentice."

Her responding smiled soothed his bristling wolf.  Which went to prove his assertions about how they complimented one another.  Strength, poise, compassion, all traits he yearned for in a partner. The sizzling attraction and mutual curiosity they shared was the icing on his mating cake.  She allowed him to grasp her hand again as he led across the deck and down steps to the garden.

"Your mum is every bit the Prentice you know. She's called here several times warning me if I harm you, she will rip my throat out," he mentioned casually and with a little chuckle.  And then regretted it when she whipped her hand away.

"My Mum called and warned you off and no one told me? Are you keeping us separated?  Is that why my phone doesn’t work?" Not missing the growl of displeased she-wolf.

.

"No, no, no,” he said, hands up in surrender.  “Your phone isn’t set up on our towers yet. Which I will fix tonight. And your mother is fiercely protective as I would expect her to be,” he quickly countered as her eyes glittered with less lusty wolf and more wolf about to tear apart her Alpha.  “I assured her you were safe.” Rose stalked closer to him and although he found the dominating stomp exciting in love tumble across the grass way, he needed to smooth things over fast. 

“We’ll have you ring her up soon so you can confirm your well-being and that I'm not the big bad wolf she thinks I am."  The storm passed as a snort of laughter rang across his garden. Much better than angry Rose.

"How do I know you're not a bad wolf?" she suddenly asked with less laughter and perhaps a hint of something else.

He held her hand intimately peering deep beyond eyes a deep whiskey brown until he connected with the fierce creature within, elusive but there waiting for her time in the full moon.

"If I wanted to harm you or force you to do something against your will, it would have happened by now. I don't want that."

"What do you want? I mean you certainly spend enough time in my dreams running about but you never really…"  A dark smile lit his face and he leaned into her.

"Moonflower.” He called to her, deep guttural voice from his wolf to hers until her breath caught. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe you're invading my dreams?"

Rose blinked a few times as she absorbed what he said.

"But I can't. I mean I don't have any special wolfy powers and I wasn't in the pack."

"And yet you dreamed about places you had never been and about a man you'd never met. You called out to me in the night. How could I not answer and especially not you, the one promised to me."

"But that doesn't make sense," Rose insisted.

"A lot of the world doesn’t make sense. How can humans walk on the moon and yet not have begun to touch the depths of the deepest ocean? How can a pack cling to its traditions with such ferocity that a young couple in love must run away to secure their happiness and the safety of their child?"

"You're talking about my mum and dad," she said softly.

He led her further along another path into another garden, this one with swirls of different coloured gravel and artistically placed boulders set off by patches of bright red flowers.

"I admire your parents. They were willing to sacrifice their place in the pack and all that entailed, to venture out into a world they knew little about all so they could be free to love and raise their family in peace. That's real courage." He walked a few steps and turned to her, looking her in the eyes. "That's real love," he said with emphasis.

The air thickened with the scent of roses from the next garden over.  His Rose quieted, pensive, deeply immersed in a storm of decisions. She needed to absorb the opportunities before her, take her time and be the one to choose.

He changed the subject and began lecturing her about the gardens and their significance and how each Alpha added something to the gardens or house as their part of pack history. Rose would ask questions every now and then and he would go off on another tangent, sometimes answering her and sometimes not.

Talking about gardens and history seemed easier for her. And he did enjoy rambling on about history. Not that he ignored the continued tension growing between them.  After all the full moon approached and their attraction, a pulsing mating dance, tingled across his skin.

“You know we have a variety of birds nesting in these gardens.  Just because wolves in the wild are predators doesn’t mean they don’t get along with other species.  Like the ruby throated humming birds.” He pointed out one zig zagging near some flowers. Rose cuddled nicely to his side as they watched the birds.  “The males like to show off for the females to prove their prowess.”

She tilted her head up, brow arching at him until he cleared his throat. 

“Right onward. Let’s check out the azaleas and there’s a rather cheeky turtle who lives there.  Clever chap. Has quite the burrow and enjoys bites of bananas. Love bananas, don’t you?”

Rose lost all sight of her goal amidst the roller coaster of conversation.  They talked about everything and nothing. Rose enjoyed picking up a few bits of information about the pack and the Doctor.  Although he seemed quiet and less willing to talk about himself and his past. Rose felt compelled to wrap her arm through his when he grew quiet, eyes dark and lost in some memory.

He quickly snapped out of it, changing the subject to the pack and his pride in various accomplishments.  Funny how even revealing about life in Gallifrey, he always made sure to focus on her, sometimes caressing her arm or holding her hand and at one point stopped and cupped her face.

"Don't move," he commanded softly holding her still. Rose automatically stopped, not due to some allegiance or obedience to his Alpha status but because there was something in his voice and his eyes that made her trust him.

"Do you trust me, Moonflower?" He still held her firmly in his grasp so she couldn't shake he head.

"Yeah, I guess so." He smiled that dark smile that made her toes curl.

"Good. Don't move."

In the blink of her eye his hand darted out and snatched something out of her hair flinging it aside.

"Bee," he whispered in her ear. He released her face, his eyes boring into hers. "I will protect you if you let me," he said with emphasis and then turned back to his tour as if nothing had happened. 

Rose followed him, each step drawing her toward the future and one she no longer was sure of.  Going home and leaving these wolves behind seemed so easy a few hours ago. No, that was a lie. She’d been convincing herself of that since she met the Prentices.  More realistically, since her almost kiss with the Doctor and sizzling dreams that night.

The intensity of her attraction and the compulsion to touch and initiate intimacy with the Doctor frightened her more than the violence of this pack.  Attacks, challenges, domination and clawing their way to the top. Somehow that made more sense than dreaming with the Doctor and soul searing connection every time she touched him.

Today, listening to him talk, the pride, how much he cared for everyone, his emotion and realness or maybe it was that bit of humanity she needed was revealed.  Wolf, alpha, hot guy and man all mixed together to make the Doctor. She even felt like she’d been on a date that afternoon. One that she wanted to end with more than a kiss.

How long had it been since she felt that?  Even with Jimmy, it had been more about proving something.  To her parents, to herself and maybe to the world that Rose Tyler was more than just a daughter or a shop clerk or the village girl who was next in line to be married.

It was a heart stuttering moment to realize, she was more than a girl, more than a woman.  Maybe she was a wolf and one ready to show this Alpha she was his equal.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo this is very EXPLICIT. Serious wolf smut as in running, chasing, ripping clothing, rolling around in the forest consummation. Also, there's another chapter because I'm wordy ;) I'll post it tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

As the sun sank low in the sky, the Doctor guided Rose back into the house.  His phone blared and glowed a garish pink colour.

“Sorry, mauve alert.”

“Mauve?” Rose stared at his phone as he swiped the screen.  “More misbehaving wolves.” She should have known. “So much for after dessert.” A touch of bite laced her words and not just from annoyance at being interrupted before the final discussion about her future.  In the garden around all the sunlight and growing things, desire for her mysterious Alpha sank its claws into her.

He pocketed the phone into jeans that displayed a rather nice bum.  Not that she was looking. Or would ever admit to it.

“Mauve alerts are annoyances.  Petty disputes or complaints about the neighbours.  Not enough to interrupt our day.” In a blink he stepped into her personal space, her skin warming at his proximity.

“The day is almost up,” Rose noted. “And we haven’t reached an agreement on my future.”

“There’s so much more than the day.  We still have the moon rise.” Her heart slammed in her chest at the way his voice lowered and how every word slid across her skin.

“The full moon,” Rose choked on the words but she had to say it out loud to make it real.

“Yes.” One word and despite the fact he was wolf, it sounded as silky as a cat’s purr.

“And…we…that is you and I decide—” Words escaped her as a heated urge consumed reason. “Fuck it,” she whispered and yanked him down by the lapels until her mouth slammed against his.  Teeth clicked as she hungrily angled her mouth against his, pressing against him body to body. 

The leather of his coat yielded to her clawing and tearing with an urgency to devour him like the wolf in little red riding.  Except she was the wolf and he her basket carrying prey. 

Coherent thoughts vanished as his hands slid down to the small of her back.  A moan rumbled in her chest as his knee nudged against her inner thigh through her dress.  Erotic heat flushed through her as his tongue yielded to her oral assault. Blood rushed low heating Rose in places that drenched her knickers.  An itch to be scratched. A wolf to be unleashed.

He pulled back, breathing hard, gaze locked on her.

“This isn’t casual.” His rough voice sank deep beneath her skin further exciting every impulse to grab him again.  “You need to understand.” His fingers dug into her shoulders in a delicious pressure.

“I understand what I feel.” Not entirely the truth.  A niggle of doubt tried in vain to douse her with logic.

“I’m the Alpha.  This pack is my responsibility and my burden.  I need a partner. Our history has always been based on a pair to lead, one to temper the other and keep the wolf from devouring reason and the duty to put pack first.  If we yield to each other, we covenant to something far greater than a night of sex.”

Obligation and duty.  Lust firmly extinguished at the thought of one erotic romp in the forest tying her to this place forever.  She cleared her throat and turned away. Looking at him, his kiss reddened lower lip and sexy stubble darkening his cheeks distracted her. 

“You mean it would be making a choice.”

“More than a choice.  Being here, you already share the synergistic energy binding our pack.  It races in your blood, opens your senses to be aware of not just the world but all around you. Our kind, we don’t just make promises of love. We are bound to our pack, loyal defenders of each other, our offspring and our heritage.  Mated pairs are forever.”

_ Forever _ . Why did one word both terrify and cause her throat to thicken with overwhelming happiness.  An annoying acerbic inner voice reminded her she’d be stuck and she had dreams of travelling the world and seeing new places and deciding for herself.  But this man, this Alpha spoke and it was like the adventure, the road of discovery opened before her in his eyes.

“Rose, I became Alpha not for power or dominance, although that’s part of it.”

And he was still talking.  She should listen. All she wanted to do was snog him.

“I fought to keep my people safe, provide them with choices sand opportunities.  I sacrificed so much, Rose.” His voice broke and Rose set aside lust, fear, and the mental whiplash of what she wanted. 

Before her stood not the proud or seductive Alpha, but a man, a wolf exuding raw emotion and truth.  The ball now lay firmly in Rose’s court. This was her big moment to demand freedom. Maybe she was an idiot but she couldn’t leave him like this.  Or her new family. There was so much more she didn’t know.

“You said you fought and sacrificed.  What happened?”

“People were suffering, dying, being used solely for the enrichment of others.  A pack exists to benefit each other, not a chosen few. I couldn’t stand by and watch like others did.  They killed my parents like they killed most of your father’s family. For disagreeing with them and not towing the line.”

“Who’s  _ they _ ?” A dull ache throbbed in her temple as he silently approached her with an answer that blared as clearly as his Mauve Alert.

“The Poissons, their allies and our prior Alpha who never hesitated to kill on a whim.  There were never trials or even accusations of wrong doing. One day, they would come for someone and make a bloody example to eradicate any idea of rebellion or questions to their authority.  Until we had enough.”

“And you killed your Alpha.” The words cut through the air.  His eyes turned dark and for the first time, Rose saw more of the wolf, the sharp teeth and hardened exterior.

“It was a challenge for Alpha.” He spoke the words with a cold disdain.  “I did what had to be done. He wasn’t expecting me. None of them were. I was the one with his nose in a book, the dreamer, the inventor, the one who never threatened anyone.  They didn’t realize I had the greatest weapon. Knowledge and an ability to strategize beyond physical violence.”

Rose stepped back, arms wrapped around herself, absorbing and processing everything he said. 

“This is who I am and my burden.  It doesn’t have to be this way, Rose.”

“Why me?” She faced him, curious and uneasy.  Unafraid of him despite all he revealed, she didn’t back down.  His face softened to a smile and he shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

“Why not you?  Raised in the human world but still connected to your wolf you called out to me in your dreams.”  He ambled over to her and Rose remained rooted to the floor.

“Not that you needed my help to face nightmares and you had some doozies.  Maybe you should avoid those slasher films for a while. I don’t relish the um screams and knives.”

“Oh my god,” Rose groaned and covered her face.  “Even the clown one?” He cleared his throat and shuddered.

“Let us not discuss the clown one. I was happy to drop kick the menace into the brambles while you pelted him with those grapefruit and will always encourage you to stand up to errr any nefariously grinning terrors.  I would prefer that we stick with some quiet star gazing.”

Rose’s face heated to the roots of her hair.

“I can’t believe you saw that.”

“Neither can I,” he mused, his brow furrowed as he remembered.  “But the point is, all I did was help. You took charge. Can’t say I understand the grapefruit angle but you thwarted the nightmare.  The truth is you’ve always been in charge, Rose. You learned self-reliance, to fight for what you want, and seek out your destiny. Like you’re doing right now.”

“I still don’t understand why that makes me….whatever it is you want.”

“Smart, strong willed, able to detect bulllshit and liars.  You came here with no pack training and defied the odds against you and proved who you are.”

“And who am I” She hated how her voice shook or how she felt as if the floor swept out from under her feet.  It wasn’t until he slipped her hands into his that she felt grounded.

“Rose Tyler.  A woman I admire and want to spend the full moon with and show her how much she has become a part of me and this pack.  Meet me in the forest tonight.”

Swept off her feet by words and his touch, she lost the ability to speak for a moment.  He practically declared he loved her. And her heart raced at that thought. Of how the Doctor gazed at her as if she was the centre of his universe. 

“I need time.” Weeks of it, maybe even a lifetime to fully comprehend this pack, the Doctor as well as the life Rose wanted.  Everything she thought she knew about herself circled the drain.

“Time is something we have.  For now.” Rose didn’t miss the slight disappointment.  Nor the longing. God did she understand the longing part.  But not enough to bet her life on it.

“I think I’ll just wander upstairs for a bit.  Leave you to your mauve alert and cranky wolves.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he added as she strolled away.  “I meant everything I said. And I’ll honour your decision.”  A cool breeze chilled up her spine as he withdrew. She gasped at the loss before fleeing up the stairs.

Behind the closed door of her suite Rose gave in to anxiety, and the emotions of the day.  She fell backwards onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling. A burning sensation cantered on her chest as the loss from down stairs sank into her.  Would this be what it felt like to leave the pack? Or the Doctor?

She curled onto her side and chewed on her thumb cuticle. It was all so confusing. She arrived here believing this would be a short trip, a quick: hello, I don't belong here or to you and thanks but no thanks and she would be on her way home. Things weren't that simple. This place wasn't so easily dismissed.

The connection to the Doctor and the land was an aspect she never imagined. Gran Prentice was someone she could see herself spending time with, going to family dinners, learning more about the family and what it meant to be a Prentice.

There were also friendships she felt herself making with her cousin Clara, Rory, Jack and even Amy. But none of that lit a candle to how she felt about the Doctor. Attraction was too simple to describe the yearning to wrap herself in his arms.

The Doctor revealed himself to her, his past, his pain and what he wanted. He was a real person to her now, a man who made her feel safe, respected, desired and perhaps even pursued.  Why couldn’t she figure this out? 

Her eyes slipped shut and visions of a forest filled her mind, of him chasing her and how much she wanted that. It should have shocked her. But after dreaming of it for so long and learning that it wasn't just him invading her dreams but the two of them meeting up in some mutual dream environment, it left her curious, hot and wanting.

A cool breeze blew through an open window and the scent of the outdoors, the grass, the moist ground and the heady perfume of the garden surrounded her tantalizing her senses. She drifted off to sleep and she dreamed of Gallifrey, of the forests, the water falls, the garden and the Doctor standing on a balcony over-looking the forest calling to her. She heard him whisper, "If you run, I will chase you."

Rose awakened to a darkened room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked over at the window and the glow of the moon shined tantalizing through the sheer curtains. As if in a dream, she walked over to the open window, shivering slightly at the breeze.

A full moon rose above the forest. Nan Prentice had given some rather salacious advice about the full moon. Anxiety and indecision vanished into the night air.  Barefoot and in the light cotton sundress and cardigan she fled the now stifling room. Rose ran down the stairs, through the living area and out to the deck where she paused and inhaled the scent of the night.

It was like some recreational drug the college students back home would have done just for the high, but this was no human narcotic. It was far more potent than that. She whipped the tie off her hair allowing it to fall around her shoulders, unbound and unrestrained the way she wanted to be, free from any boundaries or bindings.

Rose raced down the steps and through the gardens. She paused at the edge of the forest and looked back at the massive stone house, at the balcony she knew the Doctor would be on, and smiled before racing into the dark depths of the forest.

Entering this dark, verdant domain lit only by a few rays of moonlight was like entering a twilight world, separate and apart from reality.

At first, she chose her steps carefully, gracefully placing one foot after another down on the cushioned leaf covered ground avoiding stones or anything appearing alive or easily damaged. Soon, such elegant dance was replaced by a blood pumping need to run as the cacophony of the crickets and hooting owls mixed with the chattering of nocturnal animals touched that primitive instinct inside of Rose.

A wolfish smile lit her face as she sprinted off though the woods, the cool damp leaves whipping across her arms, her hair tangling about her face as she forged onward. Rose didn't care if a branch scratched her or her dress was splattered with mud or the dew-covered leaves. This was about feeling this place teaming with life all around her and being a part of it, revelling in a communion with the woods and the freedom of just running.

There was a sudden shift in the air slowing her steps. The hum of the crickets and wildlife softened. A predator was amongst them. Rose shivered and heat pooled low between her thighs. The Doctor was there to hunt but he would have to catch her first.

Rose crept forward slowly moving away from where she felt his presence and it wasn't hard to miss. It was like she could smell him and feel his gaze piercing the darkness seeking her out. It was hard to keep her breath in check and not make the sounds she felt rumbling inside of herself.

Anticipation of this hunt vibrated across her nerve endings. Still, she had to be stealthy, make it worth his while. She smiled as she made her way through some dew-covered ferns. He thought this would be easy that he would catch her and get what he wanted but she wanted things too, dark things.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

The Doctor knew the moment the moon called to Rose.

He had paced impatiently at her indecision, trying to reign in his desire and burning need for her. Rose represented fate. Her acceptance of him and her own nature showed the Doctor that maybe there was hope for his redemption and his pack’s future. He’d already seen positive effects of her presence in his pack and it was just the beginning. 

When she'd left the house, her pink sundress and blonde hair glowing in the moonlight, he'd felt a rumbling growl deep inside.  Then, she had paused at the edge of the woods and looked right at him.

"Oh, but you had to do that didn't you, Moonflower, my little teasing temptress," he said, smirking at his own alliteration. This is what he'd been waiting for with an excruciating and painful patience ever since that first dream.  An affirmation and choice made.

He slipped his coat off and allowed it to fall to the floor and soon followed it with his Henley until he was bare chested. He pulled off his trainers and socks as well wanting to feel the ground beneath his feet. He stretched, feeling muscles pull and joints pop and limbered up.

With purpose and a quiet grace, he prowled out of his house and into the woods, pausing after stepping into the tree line, his hand rubbing the bark marking it. He scanned the thicket of greenery and sniffed the air. He almost moaned when he caught her scent heady with pheromones and desire.

His body tensed, ready to hunt, chase and capture and then…Well then, he'd see what kind of she-wolf Rose was and how much the moon raced in her blood. As he crept through the woods following her scent, his ears perked at the snap of a branch.

The Doctor quickly made his way toward the sound of a heart beating and a slight catch of breath. An owl took flight in a tree not far ahead and a dark smile lit his face.

She was close now and yet she still evaded him. He knew Rose would make him work for it. After all, this was part of the game, part of what made the reward oh so sweet.

He continued forward, the damp chill of the mist barely a concern. There was heat raging in him that no cool night could soothe. The moon had ascended higher in the sky lighting more of the forest with its dappled and dancing rays filtered through the tree canopy; and, it was the moon that was her downfall.

Leaning against a tree, his hair falling rakishly over his forehead, he caught sight of movement, a glimpse of her shining in the moonlight.

"Mine," he whispered in a gruff voice, all his focus on her now and he surged forward uncaring what noise he made.

Now it was down to a chase, her running and him following.  Rose sprinted ahead, her long legs flashing in the moonlight and covered with dew and leaves. All he could think of was how he was going to have those legs wrapped around his hips in short order and the sounds she would make. He’d fantasized about sweet gasps and guttural cries when he finally claimed her.

First, he had to catch her. He saw a chance to cut her off and took it and raced around, leaping over a fallen log and scampering over some rocks to jump in her path.

She was quick and darted just out of his reach, grabbed a branch and swung herself up and over a bush, looking back once with the tongue teasing smile that had tormented him. With a growl he lunged after her. The little minx had been quite the gymnast in her youth and was using that to her advantage. A dark lusty part of him thought how he would put her flexibility to good use later.

As the moon climbed, his senses heightened and he knew what he would do. It was cheating a bit but he didn't care. He was the Alpha and an Alpha did what he had to. With his system saturated in adrenalin, he called out to the life in the forest, a subtle telepathic howl that sent nocturnal animals scampering, and one right into her path.

Just as she paused to evade, he grabbed her about the middle and struggled with her to the ground where they landed in a tangle of limbs and curses.

He growled as her nails dug into his arms. After Rose left his ears ringing from one vicious head butt, he pinned her down.  Panting, he enjoyed how the damp of the Earth soaked through her dress, her cardigan having been ripped off earlier in the chase.

Rose thrashed under him, eyes flashing with rebellion.

"Mine," he declared with a growl and slammed his mouth against hers. She struggled kicking at him until his tongue slipped into her mouth and the kiss transformed from punishing to soft and languid. He moaned thrusting his hips forward as he held her arms down, sinking into the wet leaves and soft ground of the forest.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

Rose had been annoyed when he'd captured her. Everything inside of her screamed to resist, make him earn the privilege to have her. He was such a domineering git with his  _ mine _ and his hot self-satisfied look as if she was his right.

Part of her acknowledged that perhaps she was the Doctor’s and had been for a while. Rose wanted him, wanted to feel his skin on hers, his teeth nipping at her and his tongue, oh god did she wanted to feel his tongue lapping at her intimately.

But not everything was about yielding for sex. Strumming through her was a need to fight for dominance, and show him she was strong and not some subservient pack follower he could order. When his kiss softened and she tasted him, the slow stroke of his tongue inspired her cunning inner wolf. There were other ways, softer ways for her to gain the upper hand.

She moaned as his lips moved against hers and she felt the bulge in his jeans rub her low on her abdomen. Rose curled her toes and dragged her foot up his jean clad leg and wrapped her other leg around his hip, angling her body and arching up against him.

The Doctor released her arms, moaning into her mouth. Satisfaction raced through Rose as her Alpha ground against her tangling one hand in her hair as he reached down to tug at her dress. He pulled away breathing heavy and looked into her eyes.

"Moonflower," he said in that way that only he could and that caused vibrations deep inside of her.

"Doctor," she replied in a hoarse groan.

He lifted up his hips to yank her dress up to arms which she raised for him and he tossed the torn and forest stained garment aside. With the Doctor straddling her hips, the two of them looked at each other, running their hands over each other’s arms and chests. He cupped her breast through the pale pink lace bra and leaned down toward her clavicle sniffing and licked her up to her neck.

The graze of his teeth left her gasping his name again as her own hand dipped to the fly of his jeans and palmed him.  With a softly uttered  _ fuck _ , he sat up and grabbed her wrist pressing her hand harder against him.

"Need you, Moonflower.”

Rose yanked her hand away eyeing him like the prime specimen he was before she raked her nails low on his belly just above his waistband, her fingers flicking at the button above his zipper.

"Don't tease me," he commanded.

"Mmmm the poor Alpha isn't in control of everything, now is he?" Her thumb dragged provocatively down the teeth of his fly.

"Rose," he growled and then a sexy smirk emerged. "Moonflower," he purred thighs clamped around her hips as one of his hands danced across one of her inner thighs until sliding across the silk of her knickers and finding the sodden heat which he pressed against with his thumb making her arch into him.

"Who is the Alpha?"

She looked at him defiantly, jutting her chin out refusing to give in to this domineering Alpha shite.  Her fingers stilled nails digging into his flesh above his hips. She’d play dirty too if she had to.

The Doctor swept aside her knickers and plunged his fingers in her wet warmth, sliding inside of her, his thumb circling her sensitive bud. Definitely not fair but maybe he got bonus points for technique. She tried to clamp her thighs around him and angle herself for more friction, to get him to press into her deeper and harder.

"Moonflower," he said again, still with a dark look and smile. "Who is the Alpha?" She mewled too focused on the pressure and heat as he plunged his fingers into her to the knuckle and swirled and caressed her deeply until she was panting. Slowly he withdrew his fingers barely grazing her sensitive flesh with his nails. The slight touch left her writing and crying out. 

Blood rushed in her ears as she focused on the smug man sucking his fingers clean.  A sudden urge consumed her, a pounding idea to topple him and shove him onto the forest floor to teach him what happens when one played dirty games.  But then the git hummed with one languid suck of his finger. Bloody hell she was going to combust if he didn’t stop.

"Moonflower," the Doctor almost purred before he leaned into her neck. "Tell me what I want to hear." Her body shuddered and arched up against her will.  She had needs and a wolf woman did what she had to in order to get satisfaction.

"You are," she finally said softly and with a breathy voice.  He shifted, hands planted on either side of her head.

"I'm what?" He asked with a cocky arch of his brow.  Bastard.

He was doing this on purpose, tormenting and teasing her, getting her all hot and bothered and making her want to just shag him hard and fast against the closest tree. She looked at him, his eyes dark and piercing with the slightest Alpha arrogance.

Rose gripped his upper arm, her nails biting into his pale freckled skin. He wanted her to admit he was her Alpha. It was a pack thing except, this was more intimate, had deeper meaning than even pack law.

The Doctor wanted her to accept him, that he was claiming her as his. Part of her hated him for it and another part was screaming, wet and hot to have him just get on with it, make her his, bind them together so this agonizing want would end. She took a breath and closed her eyes and when she opened them, she smiled softly.

"You’re my Alpha," she said and then she raked her nails down his shoulder and looked him in the eyes with more than acceptance. "Mine," she growled.

The Doctor’s eyes fluttered shut as he uttered a musical lilting words like a mix of Gaelic and welsh that ended with  _ thank you _ .   

All rational thought fled.  Her world narrowed to lips hungrily seeking each other out, teeth clashing and nipping, nose bumping awkwardly in passion as hands roamed to touch. He grazed her abdomen with his nails as he reached down and yanked at her knickers, grunting to rip them off and tossed them aside. The sting of the ripped fabric drove Rose into a frenzy of want.

His mouth moved down her neck licking, sucking and nipping her just as she fantasized. Rose met him head on, refusing to be anything less than the aggressor.  She groaned and arched back giving him better access, uncaring of where she was or the stones gouging into her back through the bed of wet leaves.

Emotions and desire burned across her skin. Rose sank into herself, to the scent of the damp green forest, of the musty, wet smell of the leaves mixed with the the tang of his arousal.  The coarse fabric of his jeans brushing her wet warmth drove her need until she grunted with frustration, needing more of the Doctor, hot flesh to hot flesh.

Rose gasped with freedom as he tugged at her bra and flung it away mixed with a satisfied  _ Mine _ as he continued his orally fixated journey down her body.  

“Doctor, need more,” Words sputtered out along with a tinge of frustration.  He needed to get to it. She growled and dug her nails into his shoulders only to be met with a throaty chuckle and her thighs shoved apart.  Finally, his hot clever tongue licked her where she wanted him most. The moon appeared white hot in the sky as her blood flowed down to where he buried his face.  Fuck every romance novel about throbbing manhoods, this was where it was at as her belly tightened with each swipe of his tongue.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

Enraptured by her scent coating his face and the tang of her covering his tongue, the Doctor let go of worry and duty to revel in his mate. She made all the noises he fantasized about and more. The scent of her drove him mad. The world could have crashed down and he wouldn't have cared as long as he was cradled between her thighs lapping at her heat and tasting her desire as her thighs trembled with each swipe of his tongue.

He dug his fingers into her hips to steady her as she shifted her body in response to his ministrations as if to deliver herself to him like some sensuous sacrifice. Rose tangled her fingers in his brown tousled locks and tugged hard to encourage him.

As if he needed any more inspiration than just her scent.  He growled against her moist heat and nipped her as he slipped his long fingers deep into her core caressing her just so until a pulsing heat exploded.

The Doctor needed the affirmation of her orgasm, his gift to her and his triumph.  Rose screamed and crashed her thighs around him before falling limply to the ground. His cock throbbed for more and that reward would happen soon enough. He wiped her essence from his jaw as he sat up proud and possessive. She was his Moonflower and he had done this, shown her what it is to be loved by an Alpha, by her Doctor.

Rose gazed up at him, languid, her eyes warm and flashing gold in the moon light. She lounged before him on the forest floor completely nude with his marks on her skin, her hair loose and tangled with leaves of the forest. His mate.

But it was more than a satisfied curl to her lips.  Rose blinked slowly, staring with a hint of a predator lurking beneath. And that particular predatory gaze excited him even more than her nudity.

An Alpha needed a counterpart, someone to tame the inner beast, stop him when he would go too far. It would take courage, strength and passion along with a will to allow him to think he was the dominate but sometimes, when the moon was full, there would be line that would blur. Rose knew this instinctively and she was about to show him how satisfying that could be.

She moved in a blur, like a wolf hunting, and grabbed him by the waistband of his trousers.

"Alpha," she drawled out in a husky tone.

"Moonflower," her responded as her fingers danced up to the bulge in his pants until gripping the zipper and slowly lowering it.

She looked down at what she was doing and then coquettishly up at him through the curtain of damp tangled hair, the image of a golden wolf on the prowl.

"My Alpha," she purred and nuzzled his chest, licking him and gently nipping him until his breath hissed. He gripped her shoulders.

"No teasing," he commanded.  She had his fly open and her warm hand curled around his hard member.

"Mmmmm you are all Alpha everywhere," she continued as she ran her fingers up and down his erection, her thumb dancing over the sensitive tip until he nearly lost every ounce of control and exploded in her hand.

The Doctor growled and shoved her back on the ground.  Quickly, he shoved his jeans down, cursing in frustration as he kicked them aside and looked at her laying on her side. Her fingers trailed down her abdomen and tangled in her own curls.

"Alpha," she sang to him with a tongue teasing smile as she looked at him standing in the dappled moonlight, his pale, skin almost glowing, his stiff member evidence of his desire. He was so lean and long, with narrow dimpled hips that she wanted to nip at.

In one lithe movement he was down next to her, staring into her eyes.

"Moonflower," he said with yearning to complete and mate with her in the old ways, firmly embedded in her hot flesh.

Rose trailed her fingers along his slightly scruffy jaw and closed her eyes remembering how that scruff scraped against her thighs earlier and shuddered. She opened them and gazed into dark brown eyes or maybe she fell into them. There was no hard Alpha trying to dominate her now.

There was heat, want, love and a need to complete this thing they had started, to join, claim and mate. Rose felt a compulsion she couldn't deny. She reached her hand up and gripped his hair pulling him into a deep kiss that escalated quickly.

Their bodies tangled and her legs quickly wrapped around his hips as she reached for his hardness to angle him into her entrance, caressing him, making him moan her name. The sting of his teeth on her shoulder shoved her over the edge even more so than his hard length sliding deep inside of her, stretching and filling her. She squeezed her eyes, panting as essence of Doctor surrounded her in every way.

"Bite me!" he commanded into her ear, giving her lobe a bit of nip in emphasis.

A shudder course through at the thought of his flesh in her mouth.  Every sense lit aflame, heat pouring off his body, the firm nudge of his cock, the ragged sound of his breath on her ear and god how badly she craved the taste of him.

As natural as he moved inside of her, Rose bit down on the pale flesh of his shoulder. He groaned, the sound vibrating into her and touching something deep and dark and it responded. He tasted so good, the salt on his skin, the muskiness of sex and something wild, some essence of the forest that slicked his skin.

Rose licked his flesh one more time before she released him and dug her heels into his arse. She raked her nails up his back, marking him with red trails.

“Shag me,” the guttural command rumbled in her chest. “I need to feel all of you, know that you’re mine.”  

“Rose.” Her name was mixed with curses spilling forth from his lips as the thrust into her.

“Yes, like that!” She called out as he angled and slid against a spot that sparked pleasure at the base of her spine. Rose bit him again and he howled out a  _ yes _ !

They were no longer, Rose and the Doctor. They were an Alpha and his mate. Their pulses beat together wildly racing.  The Doctor lifted her up and slammed her back to the forest floor as he buried himself in her.

Rose lost all sense of time and space, the day, the night or anything around her.  Sex, the chase for the orgasm consumed her. She tightened her thighs around him making excited moaning noises. This was what she wanted, hard fast, raw surrounded by the green of the land, the life of Gallifrey.

Heat built between them as he moved faster and thrust with urgency, grunting and feeling her begin to flutter around him. He paused and looked down at her. "Rose," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Doctor," Rose affirmed as surely as a wedding vow.

It was an acknowledgement. This moment would not be undone. This was who they were, creatures of the forest, part of the life on this planet, the pulse of it running through each of them binding them together just assuredly as the moonlight bathed them in its glow.

His hand danced down between them and his thumb pressed hard into her sensitive bundle of nerves until one final thrust drove both of them over the edge. They screamed, together in unison, the sound echoing through the forest.

Her body convulsed and shuddered around him as he spilled himself into her, his essence, life and who he was. Rose could feel all of him and she wrapped herself around this Alpha, the commanding prick, the good man, the man who wanted better for his people and the man she loved.

They clung panting in the moonlight, damp and sated. He rolled over so that she rested on top of him, still unwilling to pull out of her. He trailed his fingers up and down her spine, brushing off stray leaves or remnants of the woods, basking in afterglow.

Rose rested her head on his shoulder, sated, at peace with a happy flutter of knowing she was loved and part of something more. Lazily, she trailed her fingers in his hair, gentling massaging him. Neither spoke, too lost to the endorphin high. Rose nuzzled his shoulder, warm and damp from love play.  As they lay in the chill of the moonlit forest, Rose sighed. She’d remember this night for the rest of her life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter. Thank you everyone for your patience while I finished this and thanks so much for reading and comments and kudos!

Love for the Doctor and Rose would never be simple. Muscles tightened beneath where Rose lay across her lover, followed by a subtle growl. Rose lifted her head.

"What?" A glint of gold flared in the Doctor’s eyes, now more lupine than human.  Rose stilled unsure of this transformation. Instincts pounded in her recognizing the racing thud of his pulse against her skin and the familiar scent covering both of them.  She looked up to see what would cause her lover to bristle into an angry wolf. 

Jeanne Poisson stood over them holding up a heavy dangerous looking branch.

"Oh shit!" Rose gaped at the not so polished she-bitch she tossed off the deck barely a day ago.

"He was mine!" Jeanne shouted as she hurled the branch downward. 

Rose scrambled off the Doctor and rolled away.  The Doctor launched himself up like the forest God Rose fantasized about even as the wood crashed into the ground where they had been laying.

Jeanne, face bruised and battered from her fight with Rose, dressed in black jeans and black blouse, levelled a murderous gaze on Rose.

"I will kill you! He was mine! I was his mate not some little low born tramp!"

"Jeanne!" the Doctor’s voice boomed across a now silent woods.  "I command you to stop!"

Rose scooted backwards away from them wrapping her brain how once again, these wolves were starting shit with her.  And during full moon shag night.

Outrage ebbed as Rose watched Jeanne’s mad wolf-eyed gaze settle on the Doctor.

"No, my love, you have been deceived by this lying little whore. She is using you. I am your true one and soon you will see that." She turned back to Rose. "Because I will rid our pack of this this…"

Rose stood up, nude, tense and unafraid and so over wolves and jealous bitches. "Tyler," she finished. "Or were you going for something a bit cruder or maybe you were gonna go off on some twisted, mental wolf rant," she suggested with an icy sarcasm.

"You do not speak to me! I am a Poisson!" Jeanne said haughtily, grabbing the branch and heading toward Rose.

"I am not going to tell you again, Jeanne,” The Doctor warned in a dangerous quiet voice. "Back away from my mate."

Rose couldn’t deny a skip in her heartbeat at how he declared her his mate.  Except nutter Jeanne didn’t quite appreciate Rose’s moment and now narrowed her gaze at Rose.  Her teeth bared, Jeanne snarled, evidence that maybe Jeanne, the somewhat intelligent woman, was not home tonight.  This was more mad wolf more…and then it hit Rose.

The full moon.  Whereas the moon had incited passion between Rose and the Doctor, it had resonated a madness in Jeanne, an obsession with the Alpha and her belief she was to be his and now she would do anything to remove any obstacles in the way of that goal.

Buzzing with post sex high, Rose wasn’t feeling very compassionate or maybe it was the rush of the moon combined with her new bond to the Doctor that made her giddy. At that moment, a wildness clouded rational thought, a need to defend her new mate.  Rose moved away from the Doctor, circling around Jeanne.

"Rose, don't," the Doctor warned, not liking the sense he had of two she-wolves about to pounce. Jeanne was clearly suffering from moon madness. He'd seen this before and it was not pleasant.

A sensory overload combined with obsessive behaviour wasn’t common but he’d read about cases like this. Pack members suffering from this were usually sedated and locked down until it was over. Ones that got loose were capable of excessive violence or worse.

He moved between Jeanne and Rose, determined to stop any violence. Jeanne darted around him, eluding his grasp and aimed the thick branch as a battering ram. Rose easily vaulted to the side but Jeanne was quicker and adjusted following after her.

“Fuck.” This was not the night he planned and a chill crawled across his skin. A vision he didn’t want to see, of death hovering over his pack nearly consumed him.  He blinked it away, refocusing on the present as Rose continued dancing aside, avoiding Jeanne.

The Doctor darted over and grabbed Jeanne around the middle.

"Jeanne, stop this!" he said firmly holding onto her as she struggled. If he could contain her, hold her down until it passed…

"No!" she shouted and threw him aside. The Doctor stumbled backwards, slipping on leaves until he landed on the ground with a thump cracking his head on a stone.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, worried for him but Jeanne didn't give her the chance to check on her mate and Rose knew what she had to do.

"Oi Poisson!" she shouted. "You just gonna wiggle your prissy arse around or you ready to end this?"

Jeanne growled, her eyes predatory and her hands gripped the thick, heavy branch that no human would have been able to lift.

Jeanne might have strength but Rose had a plan. She smiled cockily and took off, streaking naked through the forest. Jeanne was hot on her trail. Rose ran through the forest like she was born for it which she was. She easily vaulted over fallen trees and shallow meandering streams.

Her legs pumped and burned as Rose felt the elevation of the land change and followed her instincts.

Jeanne was pumped up on some moon high like adrenaline so hand to hand combat was out. Rose had to be clever and one thought rang out in her mind. The deck at the Doctor's house and what had played out there.

Rose led her up the incline to a ridge, hoping this would work.  She looked back after she reached the top and found Jeanne smiling in a very vicious dominating way.  Rose’s confidence ebbed. Yeah maybe leading nutter Jeanne up to a cliff was not her best plan. Dangerous for sure but someone had to stop Jeanne before she hurt anyone.

“You are dead!” Jeanne shouted in a guttural threat.

Despite her pulse racing and her lungs screaming from the sudden sprint, fear didn’t paralyze her.  The Doctor’s voice rang out in the night calling for her. And there it was, the ache in her heart, the love and need to protect him.  Even from his own pack.

Funny how it all came down to this.  Finally, she understood. She was a wolf.  This was her pack. Rose Tyler, a nobody from Powell’s End, and yet she was a protector, a defender and would do what she had to no matter the cost.

"What you waiting for?" Rose taunted and Jeanne took the bait and charged her.

Rose moved to the side but not fast enough. Jeanne had charged at her with the branch, the cracked and splintering wood dug into her side until blood oozed. The scent of it seemed to drive Jeanne even more mad.

Rose grunted, wincing at the burning pain.  Vaguely aware the Doctor again called out to her, Rose dug deep determined to fight for him and her life.  Her fingers clawed into the branch that Jeanne shoved at her again. Rocks dug into the pads of her feet as Rose battled for control working ever so close to where the land ended in a shear and deadly drop. Jeanne angled around so Rose was near the edge.

With a triumphant gleam, Jeanne whispered. "You will die now!"

"Not today," Rose replied in a steely voice, knowing her Doctor was near. She dropped down and tilted the branch throwing Jeanne's balance and pulled with all her might until Jeanne tripped and tumbled over the edge screaming until she landed with a crack and thud on the rocks below.

Rose slipped on the loose clay and gravel and tumbled backward until she clung to a rocky outcropping, her fingers barely holding on.  Her legs dangled over the edge trying to find footing to stabilize herself.

Pain wracked her body as the high from earlier ebbed was replaced by a draining heaviness.  Rose mentally screamed for the Doctor and just when she thought all was lost, strong hands gripped her wrists and pulled her up into a very annoyed Alpha's arms.

“What the bloody hell were you thinking?” his voice cracked and he squeezed her to his chest until she could barely breath.

Despite the oncoming lecture Rose had no doubt would commence any second, she clung to him.  Hot tears followed shaking muscles and gasps for breath as the magnitude of what just happened crashed down around her.

"I will always come for you, Moonflower," he promised as sobs wracked through her. He wrapped his body around her, rocking and assuring her everything would be all right.

Rose felt him shift slightly to peek over the edge, looking down at the ravine below.

“Jeanne…is she?  Did I?” Words once again failed her.

“It’s over.”  He brushed his lips on her temple as her knees buckled.

The Doctor sighed knowing this would be an unpleasant task to deal with. Jeanne’s family would blame both he and Rose even if it was their fault for not caring for their daughter.  He’d bring everything to light even at the cost of more pack turmoil.

Right now, he had his mate to care for. He cradled Rose to him, the scent of her blood a reminder of what happened and keeping the embers of his fury of Jeanne's actions burning. Soon he heard footsteps pounding toward them.

Jack entered the moonlit grassy area and looked at them. Anger he’d held in check exploded in rage at his head of guard. He swept a tearful Rose in his arms and carried her toward Jack.

"Doctor, is she?" Jack asked.

"Rose is mine," he answered tightly still wound up from this night and resentful that his time with Rose was interrupted. "We will deal with this Poisson matter tomorrow," he said spitting out the name Poisson. 

Jack nodded, afraid to say anything at the mood his Alpha was in.

"I'm taking Rose home. Jeanne is…" He paused. "No longer a problem."

He then stormed through the woods, past other of his guard, all with bowed heads.  The Doctor marched home carrying Rose clinging to him, no longer crying but unwilling to let go of him. He ignored everyone in his path. When he reached the house, he set Rose down on his bed, tended her wounds and curled his body around hers murmuring words of love.

w-o-l-f w-o-l-f w-o-l-f w-o-l-f w-o-l-f w-o-l-f

Rose was never so pampered as she was the days following the full moon. She struggled against some of it, feeling guilty over Jeanne's demise. The Doctor fell into dark moods often following some important wolf meeting.

Eventually, he opened up and explained about his visions of potential futures and the one he saw that night.  Someone would die. A sobering thought and not one Rose relished. The Doctor had stood silently, apparently waiting for Rose to turn on him. 

As if she ever would after all they’d been through.  Rose may not understand wolf dreams or visions of potential futures, but she knew she loved and trusted the Doctor.  It was like another piece clicked in place between them, binding them further together as he again crushed her against his chest.

Nan Prentice was a solid presence in the house, supporting Rose, offering advice and encouragement. More than once there was a clash of wills with the Doctor but for the most part, he tolerated this change to his domestics. He wanted Rose to be happy and feel at home. Their nights were passionate and ended with them clinging to one another affirming their bond.

Of course, there was the Poisson matter to deal with which happened in short order. The Poissons were indignant and accused Rose of murder. It was a tricky political situation and something that could have divided the pack. The Doctor wouldn't let that happen. He called an inquiry and assembled the pack in a great stone hall built into a cave, deep in the ground and far from prying eyes.

Such an assembly was rare and only held for important matters affecting the pack. The Doctor wanted this out in the open to prevent the Poissons from spreading rumour and innuendo which could quickly devolve into a pack shattering feud.

Rose stood nervously by his side as he presided over his pack in the cavernous room, lit only by oil lamps dancing shadows on the walls. Rose admired how he stood in this hallowed space before arrogant and often condemning pack members. He remained calm and confident and she was glad to have him as both a physical and emotional support.

He wasn't her only advocate. The Prentices stood firmly behind Rose. Much to Rose's surprise, it wasn't just her own family behind her. Many others who had been victimized, tormented or treated poorly by the Poissons supported her. She had amassed quite the assembly of allies.

The number was significant and equated to close to seventy percent of the pack. The Poissons remained haughtily unconcerned betting on their standing and the fact that Rose was new to the pack and directly responsible for their daughter's death.

They were wrong. Witnesses stepped forward testifying they had seen Jeanne that evening and it was clear she was ill. Marguerite Poisson vehemently denied that her daughter could suffer from moon madness that it was an illness of lower borns not one of higher than high standing. Several people rolled their eyes and then the Doctor walked to stand in the middle of the assembly his footsteps echoing in the stone walls of the room and he turned to face Marguerite Poisson.

"If you say it was not moon madness, then your daughter with full faculty and intention did enter my woods for the purpose of initiating yet another challenge, this time with no honourable intentions.” He took a menacing step toward Marguerite as her eyes narrowed on him. "And she did so whilst I lay with my mate, hovering over us with some a weapon she intended to use to club us to death."

The crowd whispered and watched as their Alpha continued to stand off against Marguerite.

"She was ordered to stand down and refused. She refused me, her Alpha. You know what that means, Madame," he spit out in a dangerous voice.

Marguerite blinked and stepped back, showing the first signs of fear as her Alpha stood over her, angry and condemning. Her eyes darted back to her husband as if she expected him to walk up and confront the angry Alpha.

Francois Poisson paled. His wife had made a miscalculation in denying moon madness and the Alpha saw this weakness and was going for the kill. He had to stop this. He had to think of his family's future, his younger daughter’s future and he couldn't' let Jeanne's bad decisions ruin it.

"My apologies, Doctor. My wife is emotional at the loss of our daughter who it appears was ill that night and not thinking clearly," he said, stepping forward.

Marguerite whipped around and glared at her husband. "How dare you! Our daughter was superior in all ways to this ravel much less that whore the Doctor took in the woods!"

"Be silent, Marguerite!" Francois shouted in a booming voice and slapped his wife. She looked shocked and her face contorted.

"You dare touch me," she seethed.

The Doctor controlled his first inclination to give any hint of enjoyment. Francois Poisson had allowed his full reign and dominance over their family, and far too much power and if one thing was clear, it was time for him to exert his own dominance as leader of his house.

"Yes Marguerite, I do and you will be silent. I lead this family." he said in a quiet deadly voice staring his wife who growled and stepped forward with clawed hands. Francois growled back, staring her down.

The Doctor’s lips twitched as the she-wolf stumbled, unaccustomed to anyone standing up to her. She stopped in her tracks, mouth pursed unable to comprehend this change in her mate. Francois straightened his tie before he looked back over at the Doctor.

"It is unfortunate that some in my family have a habit of allowing their emotions to rule their heads… and their tongues," he said, shooting a glare at his wife before resuming a calmer conversation with the Doctor.

"My family has acted inappropriately and disrespectfully against our Alpha. We have lost our daughter as well as our honour. I stand before you willing to accept responsibility for these actions and ask your forgiveness.” He knelt before the Doctor, his wife gasping in indignation which Francois ignored. "I apologize and reaffirm my allegiance to my Alpha and his mate," he said and nodded at Rose.

The Doctor tried not to revel in this moment which many his pack would gossip about for years to come.  He stood tall looking down aristocratically at Francois. He nodded his head.

"And I accept your apology and allegiance and I reaffirm my oath to protect all the pack and offer equal opportunity for all to thrive in this community." He held out his hand which Francois took and stood up. The two men faced each other and the woosh of sighs of relief could be heard throughout the room.

"You are a good man, Francois. I hope we can get past this and I’m truly sorry about your daughter. I wish there had been another way to avoid this." Francois nodded.

"Thank you, Alpha. My daughter should never have been able to leave my house as ill as she was." He then looked back at his wife who quickly looked away and it was evident to all who the real villain in this was.

Rose stood by the Doctor in awe at the whole thing.  Pack law, offers of loyalty and moon madness still seemed difficult to grasp even as she stood in the middle of it all. 

That night the Doctor handed Rose a phone. "Moonflower, I think it's time."

Rose nodded. Guilt hovered over her.  It had now been over a week since she arrived. She should have pushed for the phone sooner but Rose wasn’t sure what to say.  She’d walked the gardens endlessly thinking about how she explained everything to her parents, about the Doctor, Nan and Jeanne.

The Doctor was right.  It was time. With a shaky breath she rang them up. Her mother answered relieved and crying as Rose summarized her time in Gallifrey, strategically leaving out the salacious details of her moonlight delight in the wood with the Doctor.

“I’m sorry, Mum, I just…so much happened.  I miss you, Dad and Tony, but things here are complicated but in a good way.  I finally feel like I belong.”

“I’m happy for you.” Her mum’s voice thickened.  “It’s what we hoped for. Just make sure that Alpha is treating you decent like," her mother admonished. "I know what his kind is like."

Rose smiled looking the Doctor sitting on the sofa beside her munching on a banana whilst playing on his iPad.

"Yeah, he can be a real pushy, arrogant prat, my Alpha can," she teased whilst looking at him.

He paused and arched a brow, quickly shooting over next to and growled in her ear.

"Watch it, Moonflower or I'll have to punish you."

"Oi, I heard that!" Jackie shouted and then quieted. "He's your Alpha is he," she said softly and emotionally. Rose paused.

"Yeah, he is."

"I see," Jackie said tearfully.

Pete’s voice sounded over the phone. "Are you sure, Sweetheart?" Rose looked into the Doctor's deep brown eyes, softening with understanding.

"Yeah, I'm positive. He's…he's mine."

There was silence on the other end of the line and then Pete spoke.

"So, you and him then?"

"Yeah, we sort of reached um an agreement during the full moon."

"Oh my God you didn't!" Jackie shouted. Rose giggled as she heard her mother speak to her dad "My daughter went off on Full Moon shag with the Alpha!"

"It's okay Mum. I sort of got the heads up from Nan Prentice."

"You spoke to Mum?" Jackie asked, her voice softening.

"Nan's great and so is the rest of the family. They'd really like for you, Dad and Tony to come visit. It's…it's time. They miss you and the past is over with. It's time to look forward. I'd like you to come visit too. Please."

Jackie wept out a  _ yes _ and Pete took charge of the call. "We'd love to, sweetheart but are you sure? Things were…not good when we left."

"Positive. Things are different now. I even met a Tyler relative, Cousin Clara. She's real sweet and would love to meet her Uncle Pete. It's time Dad. Besides, you need to meet the Doctor. I mean he's my…my husband."

The Doctor slipped the phone out of her hand after a few more tearful conversations, assured Pete of his family's safety and freedom to come and go as they pleased. When they rang off, he looked at Rose.

"This is why I love you, Moonflower, you help heal what's broken, especially an old prat of an Alpha like me."

"Is that so?" she asked and ran her fingers along the lapels of his coat. "And does this Alpha need healing tonight?"

A rumble sounded in his chest as a sensual predatory look emerged and he swept her into his arms bounding up the stairs to show his mate exactly how much healing they could do, together.


End file.
